South Dakota Mines Ranks as a Top University in the Nation

South Dakota Mines has once again been recognized as a top university not only in South Dakota but in the entire nation. These latest rankings reflect the university's longstanding tradition of providing a rigorous STEM-based education at an affordable rate while offering graduates an unparalleled return on investment.

“The education students receive at South Dakota Mines stands as a pinnacle of quality among the nation's STEM institutions. The difference is in the affordability of a degree from our university,” says President Jim Rankin, Ph.D., P.E. “These rankings reflect the high return on investment our graduates receive.”

• The Wall Street Journal ranked South Dakota Mines in its 2024 Best Colleges in the United States as one of the top 10 most highly recommended schools by surveyed students and recent alumni, as well as #31 in the nation for return on investment.

• US News and World Report ranked South Dakota Mines the #7 regional public university in the Midwest. 

• Niche ranked South Dakota Mines in the top 6% of the best small colleges in the nation and #1 in South Dakota in seven categories, including best college, best academics, best professors and best value.

• As a College of Distinction, South Dakota Mines received recognition in multiple categories , including engineering, career development and military support.

• South Dakota Mines was ranked in  Forbes Top Colleges for 2023, a prestigious list of the top 500 universities in the nation. Forbes continually ranks South Dakota Mines as the South Dakota university with the best return on investment, both for affordability and for the amount of earnings graduates bring in during their careers.

• Best Colleges ranked South Dakota Mines as #7 for return on investment university in the nation.

• College Factual ranked South Dakota Mines in the top 1% for multiple engineering degrees both regionally and nationally along with  #1 best value for an industrial engineering degree, #1 best value for a geological engineering degree and #1 best value for a mining engineering degree.

• DegreeChoices.com ranked South Dakota Mines as the best university in South Dakota for 2023. 

• CollegeRaptor named South Dakota Mines as one of its hidden gems of the Plains region.

• UniversityHQ ranked South Dakota Mines as #3 overall university in the state to earn a bachelor's degree and a master's degree.

More information about how to attend Mines can be found on the Office of Admissions webpage.