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Mines enrollment holds steady despite Pandemic challenges


CUTLINE Tanvi Govil, a Ph.D. student in chemical and biological engineering at South Dakota Mines, is shown here working in a lab. The university is seeing an increase in both the number of graduate degrees awarded each year and in the number of female students.

RAPID CITY — Enrollment at South Dakota Mines is down slightly this year with a headcount of 2,477 undergraduate students compared to 2,529 in fall 2019, a decrease of 52 students. The full time-time equivalent number of students also decreased 5.4% from 2156.4 in 2019 to 2039.9 in 2020. See more from the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Many institutions of higher education across the nation are struggling to maintain enrollment amidst the global pandemic. The relatively steady numbers at South Dakota Mines 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 $66,500 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.

“The future scientists and engineers at South Dakota Mines are the problem solvers of tomorrow. These students will help our nation overcome the types of challenges we’re facing now,” says Mines President Jim Rankin.

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. Our fall 2020 Career Fair included 33 in-state companies, 14 came from the Black Hills area.

The South Dakota Board of Regents, the governing body for state universities, reports that enrollment numbers are down about 2.8% across the state’s six public universities.

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