International Undergraduate Admissions

First-time Freshmen must:

• Have a minimum GPA of 2.75 at the secondary (high school). See Transcripts below for more detailed information.
• Be proficient in English. See English Requirements below for more detailed information.
• Provide an acceptable SAT or ACT score or an Accuplacer Math score. 
  • Math sub-scores should be a minimum of 520 on the SAT or 20 on the ACT.
    • Only applicants with an SAT or ACT score are eligible for merit-based scholarships.

Transfer Students must:

• Have a minimum GPA of 2.75 at both high school and post-secondary (college) education levels. See Transcripts below for more detailed information.
  • If a student is reveiving an Associate's degree, a high school transcript may not be required. Contact us for information.
• Be proficient in English.
  • See English Requirements below for more detailed information.
  • Within the U.S. only: must have a 'C' or better in English Composition.
• Must be college algebra ready or take the Accuplacer Math exam.
  • International math courses: please send the syllabus for evaluation.
  • Within the U.S. only: must have a 'C' or better in college algebra or higher math course.
• Transfer Database - see what classes will transfer.
  • This is an ever-changing database. If you do not see some of your courses, they have not been evaluated.
  • Evaluation of transcripts is not completed until after a student has been admitted.

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This includes high school transcripts and transcripts from ALL post-secondary institutions attended.

TRANSCRIPTS

1. A student or agent can send unofficial international transcripts for this process. If a student has any U.S. transcripts, these must be sent by the school.
2. This can be uploaded to your application portal.
3. All academic credentials must be sent including any college transcripts

4. If a student is admissible, we require the official transcript sent by these dates in order to keep your admission active:

   • Fall Admission: August 15
   • Spring Admission: December 15

Official Transcripts - paper

For a transcript to be considered official, it must be sent directly from the issuing institution to our university.

• All copied documents must be certified by an official school or government agency seal as originals or certified photocopies.
• ALL documents must be in a sealed envelope with university or government agency stamping across the seal.
• If you are attending an institution in the US and they have your official international documents, they may send certified copies of these documents to us in the same manner.
• All documents become the property of South Dakota Mines.

Official Transcripts - electronic

There are four (4) ways we can receive electronic official college transcripts. Transcripts sent via email.

• Email - we must be able to verify the email address is an official school address. If we cannot verify, they must be sent a different way.
  • The documents should be sent to international@sdsmt.edu
• https://www.parchment.com/
• eSCRIP-SAFE, the Global Electronic Transcript Delivery Network, supplements traditional paper transcripts by providing high schools, colleges, universities, and third-party recipients with a network through which official transcripts are delivered in a secure and trusted environment. Delivery is instantaneous, fully trackable, and most importantly, easy to use. https://escrip-safe.com/schools/member_list
• https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/

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You have two options: 

1. SAT or ACT scores - Math sub-scores should be a minimum of 520 on the SAT or 20 on the ACT.
Scores must be sent directly from the issuing organization.

• South Dakota Mines ACT code: 3922
• South Dakota Mines SAT code: 6652

2. Accuplacer Math exam

• This is a free test that can be administered remotely. 
• Students are ineligible for scholarships with this exam.
• Students must apply and submit the application fee before a test is given.
• Please contact our office to set this up.

Transfer students

Transfer students must be college algebra ready or take the Accuplacer Math exam.

• International math courses: please send the syllabus for evaluation.

Within the U.S. only: must have a 'C' or better in the college algebra or higher math course.

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Exempt Country List - If you are a citizen of one of these countries, you are exempt from providing this requirement.

International applicants whose native language is not English must provide evidence of English language proficiency for the application process.

• These scores should be sent directly from the testing agency.
• Copies of scores for IELTS, TOEFL and PTE can be sent for verification.

• Exceptions to this requirement include: 
• If a student is from an English proficiency exempt country (see link above);
• If a student took the SAT/ACT and has at least a 500 (SAT English) or an 18 (ACT English) score.

The English proficiency requirement may be fulfilled by meeting one of the following:

Test	Minimum Score*	Upper Level Score**
Duolingo	105	110
IELTS	6.0	6.5
Pearson Test of English-Academic (PTE)	46	56
TOEFL - iBT (internet based test)	79	83

*Minimum scores require English proficiency testing upon arrival at the university.

**Upper level scores indicate that no additional proficiency testing is required by the university.  However, additional testing and instruction may be required based on a student's performance on other placement exams, in the classroom, or by the academic department.

If you have a different English proficiency score, you can contact us to see if it would meet the requirements.  

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South Dakota Mines does not offer scholarships specifically for international students

International students are not eligible for South Dakota Mines or federal loan programs and should not apply for this type of financial assistance.

First-time Freshmen

• Merit-based scholarships are for first-time freshmen who have been ADMITTED before January 15 for the fall semester only. There are no spring scholarships. Please see the Scholarships website for information on South Dakota Mines scholarships.

Transfer Students

• There are currently no scholarships available for transfer students.

Graduate Students

• International students are eligible for graduate assistantships. All decisions regarding financial assistance are made in the academic departments, so please contact your department directly.

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We do not offer intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) program on our campus. Applicants who plan to attend an intensive ESL program in the US prior to attending South Dakota Mines may be eligible for conditional admission. Conditional admission may be granted if the applicant meets admission requirements except for the minimum English score as indicated above.

Once the student has completed the ESL program with satisfactory grades and meets any additional requirements, the student may be eligible for unconditional admission.

Conditionally admitted students are not fully admitted to the University and will not be issued the SEVIS I-20 form (the form needed to obtain the F-1 Student Visa) until the University receives the necessary English proficiency credentials and/or the necessary proof of sufficient funding. A student will remain conditionally admitted until these terms have been satisfied.

We have a standardized agreement with ELS Language Centers - Undergraduate students and graduate students must complete Level 112.

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After you are admitted, you will receive information regarding this process.

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