Housing
Housing Application Dates & Information
The housing application for the 2025-2026 academic year will be available from your New Student Checklist starting March 24, 2025 at 7:00am.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with a preferred deadline of June 2, 2025. For students who have submitted an application and paid the application fee on or before June 2, housing assignments and roommate information will be sent to student emails on June 10. Placements are not based on timestamp of submission as long as they are submitted before June 1. Applications submitted/fees paid after June 2 will be processed on a rolling basis.
Please be aware that completion of this application binds you to the Housing Agreement for the entire academic year (fall and spring semesters). Read the terms and conditions of the application and contract carefully before submission.
Housing Exemption Requests: Students who are required to live on campus for 2025-2026 may apply for an exemption. Any exemption requests after August 1 will only be reviewed if within 2 weeks of your admittance date or for major life events (marriage, a new dependent, etc.) or ADA accommodations that cannot be met. Approved exemption requests after the deadline will be subject to forfeiture of the housing application fee as well as assessed buy-out costs as identified in the housing agreement. In general, housing exemptions are granted only for the following reasons: living in approved Greek Life housing, living at the primary address of a parents or guardians in the area, living with a spouse, or living with dependent children. More information about the exemption policy can be found online. Questions may be directed to the Residence Life Office.
New Student Move-In will be Thursday, August 21, 2025 from 8:00AM-4:00PM. More information will be available online and via email throughout the Spring and Summer.
The Spring 2025 housing application will be available from your New Student Checklist starting November 1, 2024.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with a preferred deadline of December 1, 2024. Residence Life will make placements after December 1 on a rolling basis as we are notified of vacancy locations for the spring semester.
Please be aware that completion of this application legally binds you to the Housing Agreement for the full semester. Read the terms and conditions of the application and contract carefully before submission.
New Student Move-In will be Friday, January 10, 2025 from 8:00AM to noon. More information will be available online and via email.
Housing for All Upper-class and Graduate Students
Residence Life offers rooms in Rocker Square I and Rocker Square II for all students
who graduated high school prior to 2024 on a first come first served basis for the
2025-2026 academic year. Rocker Square housing will be in high demand for the 2025-2026
school year. All upper class students eligible for the Rocker Square Apartments who
submit a housing application are automatically added to the waitlist if no space is
available. We encourage those students to explore other options off campus.
Once the Rockers are full, housing may be available in other areas if students required to live on campus have all been accommodated.
Find more detailed information on the Returning Student Housing Selection page.
Housing for Students Required to Live On Campus
In accordance with South Dakota Board of Regents policy, all students are required to live on campus if they graduated high school in the
last two years. The on-campus housing requirement for Fall 2025 students will include
those who graduated high school in 2024 or 2025. South Dakota Mines commits to providing
on-campus housing for each of those students. New freshmen and transfer students who graduated HS in the last two years have two types of housing during
their first year on campus - Community Living or Peterson Interest Communities. See
below for more information.
Find more detailed information on the Returning Student Housing Selection page.
Community Living
Located in double-occupancy rooms in Connolly and Palmerton Halls, Community Living provides strong community development through a variety of programs, events, and meetings with the Resident Advisor. Community Living in Connolly and Palmerton provides a wide range of activities and learning opportunities for all students to enjoy.
Peterson Interest Communities (PIC)
South Dakota Mines offers two PICs: Outdoor Pursuits & Exploring Rapid City (and beyond). These communities are housed in Peterson doubles, triples, quads, and study quads. PICs provide programs, events, and activities around their specific themes, allowing students with a common interest to explore together. Interested students must complete an essay on the housing application and space in the program is limited. More information about specific communities is below.
— Outdoor Pursuits Community
The Outdoor Pursuits community will focus on the many outdoor activities that are
available in the Black Hills area. Students who enjoy the outdoors are encouraged
to apply for this community. Possible events/activities include:
- Hiking
- Camping
- Fishing
- Rock climbing
- Snow-shoeing
- Social activities to meet others on the floor and in the community
— Exploring Rapid City (and Beyond) Community
Exploring Rapid City (and beyond) will focus on the many events and activities that
take place in the Rapid City area as well as service activities available in the Rapid
City area. Students who are interested in exploring what Rapid City has to offer are
encouraged to apply for this community. Possible events/activities include:
- Exploring Rapid City's local restaurants, museums, and performance venues
- Touring popular locations such as the Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore, Bear Country, and local caves
- Performing Arts activities & events (theatre, music, art openings)
- Hockey games and other sporting events
- Social activities to meet others on the floor and in the community
- Participating in service activities on campus
- Partnering and working with on-campus and local community service organizations
- Participating in community events and fundraisers
- Organizing service events as a floor based on the interests of the students
Housing Accommodations
In limited circumstances, the University approves students for housing accommodations. Students requesting a disability-related housing accommodation should contact the Office of Disability Services at disabilityservices@sdsmt.edu or call 605-394-2533. The deadline for New Students to submit a request for accommodation is June 1, 2025. Requests submitted after that time and processed/approved will be accommodated but may result in limited options.
Campus Mail & Packages
Each residential student is assigned a mailbox by Residence Life. A mailbox assignment email is sent to new students before move-in including how to address mail and packages. Items can be sent to campus before move-in, but cannot be held if received prior to August 1. The mailroom is located in Surbeck Center; it is accessible 24-hours a day and is staffed for package pick-up by the Surbeck Center Front Desk during specific hours (adjusted each semester). Students will receive their mailbox combination during check-in.
