Public · School

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Rapid City, South Dakota · Small city

#1 for grad earnings in South Dakota#4 most selective in South Dakota#5 graduation rate in South Dakota
79.9%
Admit rate
$20,183
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$72,257
Median earnings

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Rapid City, South Dakota (small city setting), enrolling 2,071 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,071 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 80% admitNCAA Division II with football · Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's admitted students.

Admit rate
79.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1140–1340
Avg GPA (est.)
3.52

Enter a test score to see where you land against South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Rapid City, South Dakota

Rapid City is a city in and the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The public discovery of gold in 1874 by the Black Hills Expedition, led by George Armstrong Custer, brought a mass influx of European-American miners and settlers into Rapid City. Rapid City has invested in public sculptures, notably "The City of Presidents" series of life-sized bronze statues depicting each former President of the United States, located on street corners in the downtown area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Rapid City, SD
To Great Lakes shore
569 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Rapid City (RAP)

How South Dakota School of Mines and Technology compares

Selectivity79.9%

More selective than 45% · #4 most selective of 11 in South Dakota

SAT average1245

Higher than 69%

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 46% · #5 of 11 in South Dakota

First-year retention84%

Higher than 74%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$72,257

Higher than 85% · #1 of 11 in South Dakota

Average net price$20,183

Cheaper than 49% · #6 cheapest of 11 in South Dakota

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,071

Larger than 58%

Percentiles compare South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Dakota.

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,431students
  • Undergraduate2,07185%
  • Graduate36015%

Undergraduates by gender

2,071undergrads
  • Women46522%
  • Men1,60678%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White82%
  • Black1.5%
  • Hispanic5.7%
  • Asian1.9%
  • Other or multiracial9.2%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,071
Graduate enrollment
360
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
17%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$76,508
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$101,205
Endowment
$111,334,370

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 496 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From South Dakota38%
  • Other U.S. states62%

A national draw — only 38% of first-years come from South Dakota; 61% arrive from other states.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
79.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1140–1340
SAT average
1245
SAT reading
560–660
SAT math
580–680
ACT composite
24–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.52

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,500
Out-of-state tuition
$14,900
Room & board
$9,300
Books & supplies
$1,900
Total cost of attendance
$25,385
Average net price
$20,183

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
53%
Graduated on time (4 years)
24%
First-year retention
84%
Transferred to another college
1%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$62,863
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$72,257
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
40%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
77%

About 29% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
24%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
32%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,083
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
52%
Housing charge (year)
$4,150
Meal plan (year)
$4,116
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
439 (335 men · 104 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (6)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)214
Football119
Soccer34
Basketball31
Golf22
Volleyball19

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,576 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Robbery
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$15,348
$30–48k
$17,909
$48–75k
$18,366
$75–110k
$21,176
$110k+
$21,993

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$88,490

$18,366/year × about 4.8 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

77%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,565
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 77% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,565. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 523 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$72,257
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
80%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$63,633
Men
$75,435

Men out-earn women by $11,802 (19%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
20″
Annual snow
53.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rapid City Wfo, SD US station (0.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare South Dakota School of Mines and Technology side by side →

Colleges near South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.