South Dakota School of Mines and Technology vs UC Davis

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) and University of California-Davis (UC Davis) stand as distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. SDSMT, a public research university located in Rapid City, South Dakota, is renowned for its exceptional programs in engineering, science, and technology. UC Davis, a public research university situated in Davis, California, boasts strengths in a wide range of disciplines, including agriculture, biological sciences, and veterinary medicine. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	South Dakota School of Mines and Technology	University of California-Davis
Overview
Location	Rapid City, South Dakota	Davis, California
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	70.0%	91.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.5%	48.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1155 - 1355	N/A
ACT range	24 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	84.0%
Total number of applicants	1,445	87,120
Total number of admissions given out	1,163	42,475
Admitted students who chose to enroll	489	7,482
Yield rate	42.0%	17.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,330 Out of state: $33,750	In state: $32,584 Out of state: $62,338
Average net price	$19,257	$16,640
Tuition	In state: $7,820 Out of state: $12,240	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,060 Meal plan: $4,080	$17,018
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	83.0% Average amount $5,895	59.0% Average amount $17,628
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $4,907	23.0% Average amount $4,043
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,435	11.0% Average amount $3,360

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,083 Men 76.4% Women 23.6%	31,657 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%
Graduate students	333 Men 76.3% Women 23.7%	8,393 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	63.0%	7.5%
International students	5.3%	17.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,082	11,142
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Dakota Colorado Minnesota Nebraska Wyoming	California Washington Illinois Texas Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Computer and Information Science Physical Science Engineering Technologies Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Agriculture Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	21:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.3%	86.9%
Dropout rate	35.2%	11.8%
Transferred out	7.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $75,822 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,634 Year 2: $67,789 Year 3: $71,638 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,408 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $64,746 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,674 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: N/A Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,157 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: N/A Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,319 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: N/A Geological/Geophysical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,327 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,985 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $121,903 Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $137,917 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $127,500 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: $135,009 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,299 Year 2: $116,258 Year 3: $127,335 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,488 Year 2: $81,609 Year 3: $103,694 Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $80,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $100,961 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $112,976 Year 2: $98,186 Year 3: $99,585 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,487 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $98,364 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $94,032 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,487 Year 2: $70,370 Year 3: $89,594 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $73,514 Year 2: $74,262 Year 3: $87,586

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South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

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