Costs for International Students

An ESTIMATE of annual costs is below. Students are responsible for these costs each year. International students are not eligible for South Dakota Mines or federal loan programs and should not apply for this type of financial assistance.

This estimate is based on an average number of credit hours for undergraduate (15) and graduate students (9). All international students must pay an international student fee of $150 per semester which is included in the tuition and fees section.  

Estimated costs for 2024-25
(living on campus, one academic year)

	Undergraduate	Graduate
Tuition and fees (9 months)	$16,500	$14,970
Living Expenses (9 months)	$11,100	$ 12,800
Books & Supplies (9 months)	$ 1,000	$  1,000
TOTAL	$28,600	$28,770

 

Living expenses vary depending on choice of living accommodations and/or meal plans. The above living expenses are based on very modest accommodations, food, and health insurance, which is mandatory for international students. This does not include personal and transportation expenses. 

The institution estimates that you will spend approximately $3,450 per academic year on personal and transportation expenses, so please be prepared for these expenses.

Additional estimated costs for students with dependents

Spouse		$12,000
First Child		$10,000
Second Child		$9,000
Third Child		$7,000

The United States Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) requires that US colleges or universities must establish that a student is able to pay all educational and incidental expenses BEFORE issuing the I-20 form.

Financial Document Requirement 

Federal regulations require all new F1 and J1 students to show that they have the financial ability to pay for at least one full academic year of tuition, fees, insurance, books and living expenses before SDM can issue a Form I-20 or DS-2019. More details are included on SDM's Financial Support Certification form

Ready to Begin?  Gather your documents – Do NOT send these to us. You will receive information on where to upload.

• Download the Financial Support Certification and complete all information.
  • All students must fill out this form.
• Bank Statements (see below for acceptable documents)
  • Sample Bank Statement
• Passport, including any dependent you plan to bring with you
• Marriage certificate for spouse; birth certificate for child

We accept these types of financial documentation

• Checking
• Checking
• Money market
• Fixed deposit
• Education loans

Financial documents must include:

• only cash or liquid assets; 
• be current (less than 6 months old) when the I-20 or DS-2019 is issued
• be written in English or accompanied by an official translation.
• be on bank letterhead
• include the bank's contact information, including address, telephone number, web site URL, email
• include the account number
• include the date the account was opened
• include the balance to date
• include the bank official's signature and stamp

A financial statement must NOT:

• include the estimated value of land, jewelry, and other non-liquid assets.
• state the student or sponsor has “ample funds” with no dollar amounts. This will not be accepted. A bank statement that states you have "at least $29,000 available for your use" is acceptable.

Scholarship awards outside SDM must be sent directly from the scholarship entity and include: (send to international@sdsmt.edu)  

• student's name and anticipated degree
• name and source of the scholarship
• scholarship contact information (name, address, telephone, web sire URL, email)
• specific amount of funding provided annually or monthly and how the funding is distributed
• direct billing information, if applicable
• specific items covered (tuition, fees, books, living expenses, insurance, etc.)
• length of time sponsor is willing to provide funding