# South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Public college in Rapid City, SD. IPEDS ID 219347.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/south-dakota-school-of-mines-and-technology · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/south-dakota-school-of-mines-and-technology.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 80% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $20,183 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 53%; beats 67% of SD colleges and 47% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $72,257; beats 100% of SD colleges and 87% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $17,306

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $15,348 |
| 30-48k | $17,909 |
| 48-75k | $18,366 |
| 75-110k | $21,176 |
| 110k+ | $21,993 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.63 years on average (27% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $72,257 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in SD (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $15,348 | $71,061 | 1.9 years |
| 30-48k | $17,909 | $82,919 | 2.3 years |
| 48-75k | $18,366 | $85,035 | 2.3 years |
| 75-110k | $21,176 | $98,045 | 2.7 years |
| 110k+ | $21,993 | $101,828 | 2.8 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $25,385 in-state; about $29,785 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $10,500 in-state, $14,900 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $8,800; books: $1,900

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 560–660; SAT math: 580–680; ACT: 24–30 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 1,539 applicants, 1,312 admitted, 496 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 80%, ACT 24–30 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 85%, ACT 23–29 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (23 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $78,193 | $95,639 | $27,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $73,551 | $94,201 | $22,541 |
| Industrial Engineering | $70,216 | $92,815 | $26,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $72,785 | $90,845 | $28,000 |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering | $90,514 | $88,904 | $27,914 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $69,667 | $85,350 | $27,000 |
| Civil Engineering | $68,755 | $80,613 | $27,388 |
| Geological / Geophysical Engineering | not reported | $75,779 | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | $48,069 | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomedical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering | $72,639 | not reported | not reported |
| Metallurgical Engineering | $71,985 | not reported | $27,500 |
| Engineering Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biotechnology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer: median wage $94,180 (Rapid City, SD), $88,380 (SD), $104,110 (U.S.)
- Civil Engineering → Civil engineer: median wage $100,300 (Rapid City, SD), $98,700 (SD), $100,840 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).