Reduced Tuition Programs
South Dakota Advantage
Undergraduate
New incoming freshman and transfer students from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming are eligible for South Dakota in-state tuition rates.
Effective Summer 2024: New incoming freshman and transfer students from Kansas, Minnesota, and Missouri are eligible for South Dakota in-state tuition rates.
Graduate
New graduate students attending on campus from Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Wyoming who earned their undergraduate degree from a South Dakota public university are eligible for South Dakota in-state tuition rates.
Effective Summer 2024: Graduate students attending on campus from Kansas, Minnesota, and Missouri who earned their undergraduate degree from a South Dakota public university are also eligible for South Dakota in-state tuition rates.
Minnesota Reciprocity
Undergraduate
and Graduate
Residents of the state of Minnesota who are currently attending South Dakota Mines are automatically granted a reduced non-resident tuition rate. Effective summer 2024, new undergraduate students from Minnesota are included in the South Dakota Advantage program listed above.
Effective summer 2025, new graduate students from
Minnesota are included in the South Dakota Advantage program. New graduate students
who enroll in summer 2024, fall 2024, and spring 2025 are eligible for either the
reciprocity rate or the South Dakota Advantage program (whichever is the
greater benefit). Please contact graduate admissions for more information.
[RH1]Hyperlinks
to grad admissions email
Child of Alumni
Undergraduate
The Child of Alumni Award is intended to attract additional highly qualified first time, full-time nonresident freshmen and transfer students to South Dakota who have at least one parent or legal guardian who earned a degree from South Dakota Mines. Qualifying
students will receive tuition and fees at the in-state rate. The application for admission includes screening questions for this special rate. No separate application required.
Eligibility
- First-time, full-time freshmen and transfer undergraduate applicants
- With at least one parent or legal guardian who earned a degree from South Dakota Mines
- Who meets all admission criteria
Award Amount
Eligible applicants will be allowed to attend South Dakota Mines at the in-state tuition and fee rate (an award equivalent to the difference between in-state and out-of-state costs; approximately $4,000 per year).
Graduate
Effective summer 2023, the in-state tuition rate is available to South Dakota public university alumni attending on campus whose parents graduated from South Dakota Mines.
Veterans and Active-Duty Military Stationed in South Dakota
Undergraduate
and Graduate
Veterans that have established a permanent residence in South Dakota shall be granted resident status and are not subject to the 12-month residency requirement.
Any person who is actively serving in the armed forces of the United States and is stationed in South Dakota will be classified as a resident for tuition purposes. This shall also apply to the spouse of the active-duty personnel.
Undergraduate Students Only
WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange
Program)
Includes the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
New freshmen & transfer students (not previously enrolled at South Dakota Mines) are eligible for this program. Find out more about WUE program
Graduate Students Only
Graduate Student Assistantships
Graduate students who hold a teaching or research assistantship are eligible for a tuition reduction that covers 100% of tuition and program fees for campus courses. The general activity fee and other miscellaneous fees as applicable are assessed at the regular rate. Specialty courses such as field camp and remedial courses numbered 001-099 are not eligible for reduced tuition.
WRGP (Western Regional Graduate Program)
The WRGP Reciprocity Agreement allows students who are residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming to attend at the resident rate regardless
of where their undergraduate degree was earned. Rate applies after completion of a bachelor's degree. Rate does not apply to distance courses.
South Dakota Residents Only
Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets
South Dakota residents who are junior and senior students and who are contracted senior ROTC cadets shall be charged 50 percent of the undergraduate resident tuition rate established by the Board of Regents for not more than four semesters. In order to
be eligible for the tuition reduction the ROTC cadet shall: 1) be a resident of the state of South Dakota; 2) meet all eligibility requirements for the senior reserve officer training corps, including final signing of the contract; 3) maintain satisfactory
academic progress; 4) not be receiving Army or Air Force scholarships or be a member of the simultaneous membership program.
National Guard Tuition Assistance
National Guard members who qualify under SDCL 33-6-7 and who present a valid application for South Dakota National Guard Tuition Assistance, approved by their commanding officer, are entitled to a 50 percent reduction of tuition for undergraduate courses.
Reduced tuition will only be granted when South Dakota Mines has been provided proper notification before the end of the tenth day of classes. Proper notification is defined as the appropriately completed application form for SD National Guard Tuition
Assistance.
Persons 65 Years of Age or Older
The tuition for resident students 65 years of age or older during the calendar year in which they are enrolled shall be 55% of the resident tuition, on a space available basis.
SD State Employee
Employees of the state who meet certain criteria may be eligible for a 50 percent reduced tuition rate for a maximum of six credit hours per semester. Employees should contact their Human Resource departments for further information.
SD Teacher Certification
Certain elementary and secondary school teachers and vocational instructors who qualify under SDCL 13-55-24 are entitled to a fifty percent tuition reduction for a maximum of six credit hours per academic year.
Other
Online Courses
Online courses are assessed the self-support tuition rate. Tuition is the same for residents and nonresidents. The general activity fee and program fees are not assessed to distance courses. Graduate courses with the prefixes CEM, ENGM, and MEM are assessed
an online delivery fee in addition to tuition.