South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Rapid City, SD · Public · Small city · SDSMT · South Dakota Mines
Public institution in Rapid City, SD · 2,042 undergraduates · 85% acceptance rate · $72,257 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 10%Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- Top 12%Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- Top 23%Median ACT
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $20,3801,107th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $10,400632nd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $14,800542nd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $24,865679th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $27,0001,593rd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $72,257240th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $62,863193rd highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 58.2%831st highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 84.1%479th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 85.3%1,071st most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1245293rd highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 27222nd highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 2,042931st largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 12.0:1782nd smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 16.0%1,882nd highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 301 mi (DEN)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 18 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mining and Mineral EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $71,015 | $74,953 |
| Metallurgical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $70,456 | — |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $64,493 | $69,338 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $64,196 | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $63,600 | $61,020 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $63,170 | $67,789 |
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $63,005 | $63,005 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $59,874 | $60,523 |
| Geological/Geophysical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $52,107 | $50,856 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesPhysical Sciences | bachelors | $42,682 | — |
| Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | — | — |
| BiotechnologyBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1885source
- Athletic nickname: "Hardrockers"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- School colors: #333367 and #B3A369source
- Mascot: Grubby the Minersource
- Motto: "Advancing the Frontier of Innovation"source
- Campus size: about 120 acressource
- Formerly known as "Dakota School of Mines" (1885–1889)source
- Formerly known as "South Dakota School of Mines" (1889–1943)source
- Athletic conference: RMACsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
Athletics — 6 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $1,561,559 (M $1,171,438 · W $390,121)
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to South Dakota School of Mines and Technology’s 2,042 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In SD
- Dakota State UniversityMadison, SD · 1,969 undergrads
- Black Hills State UniversitySpearfish, SD · 1,935 undergrads
- Augustana UniversitySioux Falls, SD · 1,818 undergrads
- University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls, SD · 1,258 undergrads
- Northern State UniversityAberdeen, SD · 1,239 undergrads
- Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle, SD · 1,156 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Alvernia UniversityReading, PA · 2,042 undergrads
- The Evergreen State CollegeOlympia, WA · 2,042 undergrads
- St Lawrence UniversityCanton, NY · 2,040 undergrads
- Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY · 2,045 undergrads
- Southwest Minnesota State UniversityMarshall, MN · 2,045 undergrads
- Westcliff UniversityIrvine, CA · 2,037 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitesdsmt.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 219347)
- Compare colleges in SDRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in South DakotaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Dakota State UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology vs Dakota State UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 6 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.