Costs for International Students

An ESTIMATE of annual costs is below. Students are responsible for these costs each year.

Tuition and fees are based on an average number of credit hours for undergraduate (15) and graduate students (9). At South Dakota Mines, tuition and fees are assessed by credit hour, so the actual costs will depend on the number of credit hours attempted. All international students must pay an international student fee of $150 per semester. This amount is included in the estimate below.

Living expenses are based on very modest accommodations for off-campus housing and food.

Estimated costs for 2022-23
(living on campus, one academic year)

The estimate for living expenses includes only room, board, and health insurance, which is mandatory for international students. This does not include personal and transportation expenses, which you will still have. The institution estimates that you will spend approximately $3450 per academic year on personal and transportation expenses, so please be prepared for these expenses.

The following are estimated additional annual costs when dependents are involved.

Additional estimated costs for students with dependents

The United States Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) requires that US colleges or universities must establish that a student is able to pay all educational and incidental expenses BEFORE issuing the I-20 form.

Financial Documents requirement - only sent after admission

After the admissions process, in order for South Dakota Mines to issue the I-20 form, the student must show proof of funding for a minimum of one academic year. Scanned or faxed copies are acceptable, but the originals must be shown when applying for the visa.

STEP 1:  If you are being sponsored by a third party (parent, relative, etc.), download the Financial Support Guarantee and complete all information. If you are receiving a full assistantship, do not complete this step.

STEP 2:  Contact international@sdsmt.edu to receive the F-1 details form and upload the South Dakota Mines Financial Support Guarantee form and current financial documents (see below).

• Financial documents must be current (less than 6 months old) when the I-20 or DS-2019 is issued
• Financial documents must be written in English or accompanied by an official translation
• Bank statement must:
• be on bank letterhead
• include the bank’s contact information, including address, telephone number, web site URL, email
• include the account number
• include the date the account was opened
• include the balance to date
• include the bank official’s signature and stamp
• A financial statement must NOT state the student or sponsor has “ample funds” with no dollar amounts. This will not be accepted. A bank statement that states you have "at least $29,000 available for your use" is acceptable.
• Financial documents must include only cash or liquid assets; statements including the estimated value of land, jewelry, and other non-liquid assets are NOT acceptable.
• Multiple accounts are acceptable, but please include a summary of the accounts, include all account numbers and types
• Checking
• Savings
• Money market
• Fixed deposit
• Education loans
• Other – please contact Ivanhoe International Center at international@sdsmt.edu  
• A sponsor letter must include the
• student’s name and anticipated degree
• sponsor’s name
• specific amount of funding provided annually or monthly
• length of time sponsor is willing to provide funding
• relationship to student, if any
• Scholarship award documents must include the
• student’s name and anticipated degree
• name and source of the scholarship
• scholarship contact information (name, address, telephone, web sire URL, email)
• specific amount of funding provided annually or monthly and how the funding is distributed
• direct billing information, if applicable
• specific items covered (tuition, fees, books, living expenses, insurance, etc.)
• length of time sponsor is willing to provide funding

Sample Bank Statement

Financial Support Guarantee

International students are not eligible for South Dakota Mines or federal loan programs and should not apply for this type of financial assistance.