South Dakota School of Mines and Technology vs University of North Dakota (UND)

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) and University of North Dakota (UND) stand out as two prominent institutions of higher learning in the Northern Plains region, each offering unique educational experiences. SDSMT, located in Rapid City, South Dakota, is a public research university renowned for its exceptional programs in engineering, science, and technology. In contrast, UND, situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is a public research university with a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including strong offerings in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	South Dakota School of Mines and Technology	University of North Dakota
Overview
Location	Rapid City, South Dakota	Grand Forks, North Dakota
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	70.0%	77.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.5%	89.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1155 - 1355	1110 - 1290
ACT range	24 - 29	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	84.0%	59.0%
Total number of applicants	1,445	5,962
Total number of admissions given out	1,163	5,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	489	1,755
Yield rate	42.0%	33.1%
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: $24,764 Out of state: $29,205
Average net price	$19,257	$17,425
Tuition	In state: $7,820 Out of state: $12,240	In state: $8,882 Out of state: $13,323
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,060 Meal plan: $4,080	Room/dormitory: $4,770 Meal plan: $5,152
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	83.0% Average amount $5,895	83.0% Average amount $5,576
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $4,907	55.0% Average amount $5,142
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,435	24.0% Average amount $15,124

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,083 Men 76.4% Women 23.6%	9,718 Men 56.6% Women 43.4%
Graduate students	333 Men 76.3% Women 23.7%	4,054 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	63.0%	60.5%
International students	5.3%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,082	4,588
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	North Dakota Minnesota California Wisconsin Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Computer and Information Science Physical Science Engineering Technologies Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.3%	61.8%
Dropout rate	35.2%	9.4%
Transferred out	7.2%	26.4%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,600 Year 2: $107,376 Year 3: $116,029 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,048 Year 2: $101,645 Year 3: $112,295 Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,111 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $94,157 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,951 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,971 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,457 Year 2: $66,325 Year 3: $79,432 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,521 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $78,447 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,317 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $75,504 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,166 Year 2: $64,608 Year 3: $73,223 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,089 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $70,144 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,206 Year 2: $55,547 Year 3: $69,655

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South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

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