Application FAQs

Application FAQs

When will I hear back about my application?

The Education Abroad Office processes applications on a rolling basis. Once you submit your Mines Study Abroad Application, you should hear back within 1-2 weeks about admission and next steps. Within a week of the deadline, we will wait until all applications have been submitted to process them. 

I don’t have a passport yet, can I still apply?

Yes! There is a question in the application that requires you input your passport number. If you do not yet have a passport, or it will expire within six months of your program end date, you will need to apply for or renew your passport. You can simply write "Applied" or "Renewed" in the passport number box and submit the form.
Once you have received your passport and know your passport number, you can contact the Mines Education Abroad Office and we will update your information.

Should I apply to multiple programs?

You can open multiple applications if you would like. However, if you submit multiple applications, you will be charged our $75 application fee for every submitted application. If you begin multiple applications, you can withdraw any time before you click the 'submit' button. We encourage students to complete only ONE application, even if you are considering multiple programs based on what courses get approved. If you decide that you want to change programs after you began/submit an application, contact the Education Abroad Office and we can transfer your application to another other program within the same term with no trouble and no cost to you.

I’ve already paid the application fee, can I switch my application to a new program?

Yes! As stated above, if you have already submitted an application for Mines Study Abroad, you can transfer your application to a different program within the same term before the application deadline. To change programs, contact Education Abroad and we can update your application. 

I’d like to withdraw my application, how do I do that?

You can easily withdraw an application from your Applicant Homepage. To withdraw, click the "Withdraw Application" button on the bottom right hand corner of your application banner when viewed from your homepage. If you have already paid your application fee, this cannot be refunded. 

How will the application be evaluated?

Keep in mind that the application process for Mines Study Abroad is not competitive and we want as many students to have an international experience as possible! As long as you meet our GPA/disciplinary requirements and complete the application, you should be accepted. 

There is a personal statement essay requirement for students applying to full semester or academic year programs. This essay can be relatively short ( ~1 page) and is just a method for us to get to know you and why you are interested in studying abroad. It is not judged based on writing technique/quality, and is just to ensure that you have thought about study abroad and what you hope to gain from it. 

Full semester/academic year applications also require a faculty recommendation. This does have to be from someone within the Mines community, but does not necessarily have to be a professor. If there is a coach or mentor from Mines who knows you well, feel free to use them for the recommendation. You will simply input their email in the application and they will be contacted with further instructions. This is to give us a better idea of your character and personality from someone who knows you well. 

Who should I use as my faculty recommendation?

If you're applying for a semester or academic year program, you're required to submit a faculty recommendation as a part of the application to Mines Education Abroad. This works by inputting the email of the person you'd like to write your recommendation, then they will be contacted with instructions for the recommendation.

The recommender does need to be a member of the Mines community. This can be a professor, adviser, coach or mentor on campus. We recommend that you contact the person you intend to use for your recommendation before inputting their email into our application system. As soon as you 'submit' the recommenders email, they will automatically receive a request to recommend you. 

The purpose of the recommendation is to get another perspective on your character from someone who knows you well in an academic or professional context. Since you will be representing Mines as well as the US during your time abroad, we believe the recommendation is an important part of the application process. Additionally, some partner schools require a letter of recommendation when you submit your host university application. If you need a copy of your letter, we can provide it to you.  

My application has been approved by Mines, now what?

Once you are approved by Mines to study abroad, there are a few post-decision requirements that will appear in your application portal. You must complete those application parts before the end of the current semester.

If you have not already, you should begin the Prior Approval process to ensure the classes you take abroad will transfer back to Mines. This form can be found on our website, in your application portal after you've been accepted, or on our website, and is a crucial step to make sure you get credit for your study abroad experience. 

Most programs and host universities require separate applications, and some have earlier deadlines. Make sure you are aware of the next steps with your host program, and begin those if possible.

Some direct enroll programs (i.e. John Cabot University in Rome, BME in Budapest), also require a nomination from Mines before students can access their host application. If that is the case for your program, you will not be able to start your host program application until after the Mines application deadline has passed!

Many third party programs (CEA, KEI, IES, programs run by other schools in the US), require certification by Mines before they can accept your application. You must complete a Mines application before our office will sign any documents for another program. 

What are my post-decision requirements (Prior Approval Form, Insurance policy number) and when are they due?

Your post-decision requirements are due by the last day of the current semester.

The Prior Approval Form is the way that you will be able to receive credit on your Mines transcript from studying abroad. It can be completed at any point throughout the process (before applying, after acceptance, etc.), but we recommend that you start early so that you are aware of what credit you'll be able to get and can plan accordingly. As long as we have the classes you took on a prior approval by the time we receive the transcript from your program, you will get credit on your transcript for all classes you have passed (C- or better). 

CISI Insurance Policy Number: Colorado School of Mines requires all students studying abroad have CISI travel insurance for the duration of their time abroad. This is so that we can be sure that all students have adequate and consistent coverage in case something were to happen. The application includes a Mines-specific link to sign up for our policy. Once completed, you will have a policy number which you can input into the form to complete it. Some countries or host universities will also require additional insurance. You will not be able to waive the CISI requirement with personal insurance, or insurance from your host country. 

How do I get credit for classes abroad?

You will need to complete a Prior Approval Form, which can be done at any point throughout the application process. See "Post-decision requirements" above.

When you fill out the Prior Approval Form, you will need to list what classes abroad you hope to take, and what equivalent Mines course you want to get credit for. Please read and follow the Prior Approval Form instructions carefully. 

Mines Education Abroad has a database of courses at our partner institutions which have been approved to transfer in the past few years. These courses are pre-approved and is a good place to start when choosing classes. Note that course availability each decided of the host program/university. Mines cannot guarantee course availability on non-Mines programs. 

Once you return from your time abroad, when we receive your transcript from your host program, we will compare the transcript to the classes you got approved on your Prior Approval Form. As long as you have passed your classes (C- or better) and they were approved, they will show up on your Mines transcript as transfer credit. This means that the classes do not affect your Mines GPA, and the grades will not appear on your Mines transcript.

While the letter grades will not be calculated into your Mines GPA, if you are planning to apply for graduate school, some graduate programs will request your study abroad transcript. If they require an official transcript from your Study Abroad Program, this will come from your host school, not Mines.  

How do I know which classes were approved for my Study Abroad?

Around 4-6 weeks after you submit your prior approval form, it will be uploaded to your application. You can view a copy of this form in the "Documents" Section of your application. Email abroad@mines.edu if you have any questions about the contents of your form. 

I missed the Mines application deadline, but I have a really, really good reason.... 

Come talk to us. We'll see what we can do to help you. 

What is housing like abroad? 

Housing abroad is completely program-dependent and is not handled by Mines. Many programs have some sort of guaranteed housing (dorms, etc.) which they will place you in, and others have options for apartments off campus or home-stays with local families. Many programs will give you assistance in this process. We recommend that you look on your program's website or contact them for more information on their housing policies.