South Dakota · Public · Predominantly bachelor's

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Rapid City, South Dakota. 2,042 undergraduate students. 61 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.

ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER-100%

3-year cohort default rate

3-year cohort default rate at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.7% → 0.0%).

PEER OUTLIER · TRENDING BETTER+47%

Public bachelor's-predominant peer

10-year earnings at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology are 47% above the public bachelor's-predominant peer median ($72.3k vs $49.3k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER+20%

First-year retention

First-year retention at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology rose 20% between 2021 and 2024 (70.4% → 84.1%).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER-13%

In-state tuition

In-state tuition at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology fell 13% between 2021 and 2024 ($12.1k → $10.5k).

SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT

The numbers, vs. South Dakota

Each tile compares this institution to the South Dakota median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$72,257+15% · 6→10y
South Dakota median $46,709
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$62,863
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
58.2%+44% · '97→'24
South Dakota median 59.6%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$17,306+414% · '97→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
2,042+3% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
84.1%+31% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
85.3%-16% · '01→'24
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$10,400+189% · '00→'24
out-of-state $14,800
SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS

How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry

Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS

What loans cost relative to earnings

Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.

Institution-wide

3.2%
0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $17,306 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $72,257 (10y after entry).

SECTION 04 · LONG ARC

Ten-plus year arc

Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.

UNDERGRAD · 199620242,071
2,6741,56419962024
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 1997202452.9%
58%33%19972024
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020$27,000
$27,438$5,16119972020
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
COMPLETION · 150% · 19972024+44%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · completion · 150% rose

36.8% → 52.9%

COMPLETION · 100% · 19972024+423%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · completion · 100% rose

4.6% → 24.1%

RETENTION · 20042024+31%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · retention rose

64.0% → 84.1%

IN-STATE TUITION · 20002024+189%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · in-state tuition rose

$3,636 → $10,500

OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 20002024+90%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · out-of-state tuition rose

$7,852 → $14,900

MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020+414%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · median debt rose

$5,250 → $27,000

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 20112024-100%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · cohort default rate fell

5.1% → 0.0%

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_10YR · 20072020+28%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · earnings_median_10yr rose

$56,300 → $72,257

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_8YR · 20052020+33%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · earnings_median_8yr rose

$49,800 → $66,297

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 20032020+45%

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology · earnings_median_6yr rose

$43,400 → $62,863

SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY

5 programs with earnings, grouped

Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.

COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11

ENGINEERING · CIP 14

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.

Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.

NET PRESENT VALUE
$1,076,029
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 6
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
graduationbreakeven · year 6year 0year 39
Cost per year
$20,041
HS-only baseline · SD
$35,900
Years to complete
4
CIP family
14

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

CAUSAL DISCIPLINE

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology graduates earn $X” — not “South Dakota School of Mines and Technology makes you earn $X”

Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending South Dakota School of Mines and Technology caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.

Methodology →