Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on energy and the environment.

In 1866, Bishop George M. Randall of Massachusetts arrived in the territory and, seeing a need for higher education facilities in the area, began planning for a university which would include a school of mines.

[10] The following year, the CSM Alumni Association was founded with members wearing the first instance of the school's Reuleaux triangle symbol.

[19] Colorado School of Mines is located to the southwest of Golden's downtown, bordered by U.S. Route 6 and Clear Creek.

Additionally, the campus hosts a research building for the United States Geological Survey,[20] housing the National Earthquake Information Center.

The Mines Police Department, Lock Smith, Environmental Health and Safety, and Parking Services are also based on the first floor.

[24] Mines, through the Beck Venture Center, is one of ten members of the western division of the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps Program, which provides students and faculty with grants to pursue their inventions.

[29] Mines began the world's first graduate program in space resources in the fall semester of 2018, offering both master's and PhD degrees.

Each cohort of Thorson Scholars is split into seminar sessions led by interdisciplinary faculty teams that dive into critical thinking, design, communication, and ethical problem solving.

The Grandey First-Year Honors program uses a leadership lens and a maker mindset to educate its scholars in principles of problem solving, team communication, and project management.

[32] Accepting about 40 students per year, the McBride Honors Program places a high emphasis on internships, particularly in public policy, industry, and the non-profit sector.

Programming includes luncheons with donors Hugh and Michelle Harvey, community-wide service activities, off-campus retreats, and small group dinners.

It also includes travel and enrichment grants to support study abroad programs, research pursuits, and professional development.

The Vanguard and Caldwell Communities of Scholars are for highly motivated female students who embody leadership skills and a desire to improve our world through science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

As members of the Vanguard and Caldwell communities, scholars benefit from vertically integrated support within the cohort, access to women faculty and campus leadership, in addition to financial assistance.

[37]  Vanguard scholars receive a partial scholarship and are identified as students who will lead the way in making advances in STEM for society upon graduation.

Field session is designed to expose student's to practical skills in their discipline and provide experience graduates can lean on in their careers.

[41] USNWR departmental rankings[42] For freshmen entering Fall 2021, Colorado School of Mines received 12,022 applications, accepted 6,838 (56.9%) and enrolled 1,449 (12.1% of those who applied).

Students take turns pulling an ore cart down 7.5 miles of Colfax Avenue to the state capitol building, where the governor of Colorado officially declares the start of E-Days.

[51] E-Days continues with field events, tech demos, concerts, comedians, manual mining competitions, and a trebuchet contest.

In 1935, President Herbert Hoover, who was a guest at the commencement ceremonies, was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Engineering for his contribution in translating De re metallica from Latin to English.

[60] In 2022, the Orediggers won their third national title in men's cross country, posting the largest margin of victory in meet history with 143-points.

[61] In December 2022, Oredigger football played in their first NCAA Division II national championship in McKinney, Texas, and lost to Ferris State 41-14.