South Dakota Mines Enrollment Up in 2022

Enrollment at South Dakota Mines is up 3.1% for the 2022 school year. The total headcount at Mines is 2,493 students compared to 2,418 in the fall of 2021. The number of classes students are taking has also increased by 800 credit hours from this time last year. The number of incoming freshmen at Mines is also up over last year by 47 students to a headcount of 538. The university has an 82% retention rate in freshmen to sophomore students, which is a positive indicator in the effort to increase the number of highly sought-after STEM graduates.

“STEM professionals are in great need across the country and we're proud to educate the next generation of thought leaders,” says Mines President Jim Rankin. “Our graduates are continually advancing the frontier of innovation. The Mines students of today are the problem solvers our nation needs tomorrow.”

South Dakota Mines is a hub of technology-based economic growth in the Black Hills region. The university is working alongside Elevate Rapid City, the Sanford Underground Research Facility and Ellsworth Air Force Base to build an economic ecosystem that is increasing the number of high-paying STEM jobs in the Black Hills and across the state.

Mines' record-breaking Fall 2022 Career Fair included 47 in-state companies, 22 of which came from the Black Hills area. The university is continuing efforts to build more high-tech businesses in the area. The recent announcement that Mines would join both KEEN and NSF I-Corps will yield more businesses in-state who hire Mines graduates.

See more on university enrollment from the South Dakota Board of Regents.