The relatively steady
enrollment numbers in past years are a testament to the value of a Mines degree. The
affordable tuition, high job placement rate for graduates, and an average
starting salary of $66,150 ranks Mines as the best engineering school in the nation
for return on investment.
Enrollment
at South
Dakota Mines is down by
59 students this year with a headcount of 2,418 undergraduate students compared
to 2,477 in fall 2020. While overall headcount is down, the number of incoming
freshmen is up by 8% from 455 in 2020 to 491 this fall. See more on university enrollment
from the South Dakota Board of Regents.
Many
institutions of higher education across the nation are struggling to maintain
enrollment as the overall population of high school students shrinks. The
relatively steady numbers in past years are a testament to the value of a Mines
degree. The affordable tuition, high job placement rate for graduates, and an average
starting salary of $66,150 ranks Mines as the best engineering school in the nation
for return on investment.
The demand for highly qualified Mines graduates is projected to continue in
coming years.
“Our
nation has a great need for scientists and engineers,” says Mines President Jim
Rankin. “Our students are the problem solvers of tomorrow. Our graduates become
the industry leaders who advance the frontier of innovation.”
South
Dakota Mines is a central part of technology-based economic growth in the Black
Hills region. The university is working alongside Elevate Rapid City, the Sanford
Underground Research Facility, and Ellsworth Air Force Base to build an
economic ecosystem that is increasing the number of high-paying STEM jobs in
the area. Mines’ fall 2021 in-person career fair included
36 in-state companies,13 of which came from the Black Hills area. More
local companies are expected at the virtual career fair on Sept.30.
The
South Dakota Board of Regents, the governing body for state universities,
reports that the headcount at South Dakota’s six public universities is largely
unchanged this year.