Advancing the Frontier of Innovation

South Dakota Mines is a great place to earn an engineering, physics, or computer science degree…and a pre-med degree. Interested in bioprocessing? We offer the only chemical engineering program in the state. The Mines difference is the hands-on learning experiences you’ll get in state-of-the-art labs and through internships, co-ops and research, along with the support and mentorship from professors and staff who are here to help you succeed.

We invite you to take a closer look, but first, let’s settle a couple things.

Rumor has it…

Students at South Dakota Mines have to study all the time and never have any fun.

Wow, that couldn’t be further from the truth. We work hard, but we balance it with fun. We have over 100 clubs and organizations that help fill your downtime. You'll always have friends up for a day of shredding powder, LARPing in the quad or new friends eager to show you the ropes in a new hobby (Climbing club, anyone?).

You'll hear us say it a lot: living in the Black Hills is like being on vacation all the time. We have everything an adventure seeker, arts lover, or foodie could want -- lakes for paddling, trails for hiking and biking, incredible drama and music programs on campus, and a booming food truck scene. Downtown Rapid City is just an extension of our campus. You'll discover cozy coffee shops, restaurants, stores, and community events a few blocks away.

Only really smart students get accepted to South Dakota Mines.

Well, it depends on what you mean by really smart. Here’s the scoop on our admissions requirements:

Our admissions team will carefully review and consider for acceptance applicants who meet the general education requirements and the following criteria.

Obtain an ACT composite score of at least 20 (or SAT composite score of 1030)
AND obtain an ACT math subscore of at least 20 (or SAT math subscore of 520)
AND achieve a high school GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale
OR are South Dakota Regents’ Scholars

Now that we’ve got that cleared up, here are more advantages of earning your degree at Mines.

TWO career fairs are held each year, connecting students with over 150 employers from South Dakota and the nation for internships, co-ops, and jobs!
79% of our graduates had at least one PAID internship before they graduated, earning nearly $20/hour.
96% of our most recent graduates were placed in careers in their field or were accepted into graduate school, including medical school.
The average starting salary for these grads - $66,516
A network of alumni who support their fellow Hardrockers.