Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPublic

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Rapid City, South Dakota·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·sdsmt.edu
6-yr Graduation
53%
+3.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
2,576
peer median 2,664
Avg net price
$20,183
+$7.4k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
1,565
1,565 candidates competed
Admitted
1,250
79.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
476
38.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
53%+3.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
24%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
52%
Full-time retention
84%

Pell equity

16.1pp gap
Pell recipients
40%36 of 90
Non-Pell (all)
56%206 of 367
Subsidized loan, no Pell
50%56 of 113
No Federal Aid
59%150 of 254

Non-Pell students graduate at a 16.1-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 65 Title IV programs, 11 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 54 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
65
Passing
11
16.9% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

65programs
  • Passing11 · 16.9%
  • No Data54 · 83.1%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
11
No data
54

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

11
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
Bachelor Degree · Physical Sciences
+33.3%
$48,069 vs $36,067
Civil Engineering
Master's Degree · Engineering
+66.7%
$83,155 vs $49,892
Geological/Geophysical Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
+110.1%
$75,779 vs $36,067
Civil Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
+123.5%
$80,613 vs $36,067
Mechanical Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
+136.6%
$85,350 vs $36,067
Mining and Mineral Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
+146.5%
$88,904 vs $36,067
Chemical Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
+151.9%
$90,845 vs $36,067
Engineering-Related Fields
Master's Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+154.1%
$126,787 vs $49,892

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

8
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
Bachelor Degree · Physical Sciences
60%
$28,906 debt · $48,069 earn
Geological/Geophysical Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
37%
$28,000 debt · $75,779 earn
Civil Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
32%
$25,500 debt · $80,613 earn
Mechanical Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
32%
$27,000 debt · $85,350 earn
Industrial Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
31%
$28,375 debt · $92,815 earn
Chemical Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
30%
$27,000 debt · $90,845 earn
Computer and Information Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
29%
$27,500 debt · $95,639 earn
Electrical Electronics and Communications Engineering
Bachelor Degree · Engineering
29%
$27,000 debt · $94,201 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1925Next review Aug 2034

Action history · 1

  1. Aug 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$15,348
$30–48k$17,909
$48–75k$18,366
$75–110k$21,176
$110k+$21,993

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$20,183
+$7,442vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $12,742
Federal loans
40.4%
In-state tuition
$10,500
Out-of-state
$14,900

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 486 students received $2.7M in Pell grants, alongside $7.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
486
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.7M
$2,713,765 total
Direct Loans
$7.1M
1,375 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.2M
510 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.3M
740 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$564K
42 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.1M
79 loan awards
Grad PLUS$51K
4 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 542 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (0.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.7%
-1.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
542
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.5%
2017
4.8%
2018
3.7%
2019
0.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at SDSMT

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs36
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

552 total completions
01Engineering
38369.4%
02Computer Sciences
5510.0%
03Physical Sciences
478.5%
04Multi/Interdisciplinary
173.1%
05Engineering Tech
142.5%
06Mathematics
132.4%
07Biological Sciences
122.2%
08Business
81.4%
09Liberal Arts
30.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
2,576
12-mo unduplicated
2,974
Undergraduate
2,536
Graduate
438

Gender split

Men
72%2,154
Women
28%820

Race / ethnicity composition

White
81.8%
Hispanic
5.7%
Unknown
4.1%
Two or more
2.6%
Asian
1.9%
Black
1.5%
Non-resident
1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
311
243 M · 68 W
Women athletes
21.9%
Athletic aid
$1.6M
Total student aid
Budget
$5.1M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.2M
$390K
Recruiting expense
$40K
$19K
Head-coach salaries
$76K
$66K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 6

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
155 M · 59 W
$440K
Football
119 M ·
$1.7M
Soccer
34 M ·
$233K
Basketball
16 M · 15 W
$1.1M
Golf
11 M · 11 W
$182K
Volleyball
· 19 W
$382K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.01
5 offenses · 2,492 students

3-year trend

0.412 yrs ago1.201 yr ago2.01Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
9
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
6
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
3
Arson
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

5total
  • On campus1
  • Non-campus1
  • Public property3

Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
1
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs24
Liquor128

Residence-hall fires

  • Rocker Square I1 fire
    A student lit a fire in the toilet of a residential apartment bathroom.Damage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
12.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
158

SDSMT vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions SDSMT selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSouth Dakota School of Mines and Technology
53%2,576$20,183Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
49%88.0%3,774$21,057Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
50%2,098$12,549Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
45%64.6%2,751$12,703Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
38%1,492$11,632Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
69%83.8%3,664$12,780Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median50%83.8%2,664$12,742

Institutions like SDSMT

Explore the federal data for institutions in SDSMT's comparison group.

SDSMT Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Email
oir [at] sdsmt.edu
Phone
(605) 394-2511
Address
501 E. Saint Joseph St. Rapid City, SD 57701

The mission of the Office of Institutional Research at South Dakota Mines is to create and deliver timely, accurate, and objective reporting and analysis to empower and support effective and strategic decision-making by institutional stakeholders.

Visit IR office page
Team
2 members
  • Jeffrey Langemeier
    Director of Institutional Research
  • Sarah Steiner
    Senior Analyst: Academic Reporting

Frequently asked questions about South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SDSMT.

What is the graduation rate at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology?

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology reports a 6-year graduation rate of 53% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology?

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology reports a total enrollment of 2,576 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology?

The average net price at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is $20,183 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology?

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's yield rate is 38.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is South Dakota School of Mines and Technology located?

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is located in Rapid City, South Dakota 57701-3995.

Who runs Institutional Research at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology?

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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