Wall Street Journal Ranks South Dakota Mines Among Top 10 Recommended Universities in the Nation

South Dakota Mines was listed in Wall Street Journal's 2024 Best Colleges in the United States as one of the top 10 most highly recommended schools by surveyed students and recent alumni. The listing appeared in the newspaper's Sept. 7 edition and as part of the publication's annual college rankings.

South Dakota Mines is the only university in the state to make the Wall Street Journal's 2024 list. “This recognition is no surprise to South Dakota Mines students and alumni. The lifetime value of a South Dakota Mines degree is evident in the widespread success our graduates enjoy,” says Mines President Jim Rankin, Ph.D., P.E.

The Wall Street Journal also ranks South Dakota Mines 31st in the nation for salary impact. The university has long been recognized as one of the top engineering schools in the country for return on investment.

The university's fully ABET accredited engineering degrees parallel the curriculum at other leading STEM schools in the country. But unlike many Ivy League schools, Mines is accessible to students from all backgrounds with an 85% acceptance rate for all those who apply.

“Yes, our students are held to higher standards than many other universities; our rigorous curriculum coupled with our hands-on education and lots of personal attention from professors and peer mentors are why our graduates are so highly sought after,” says Rankin. The South Dakota Mines graduating class of 2022 saw a 98% placement rate in their field of study and an average starting salary over $70,000.

That starting salary translates to a lifetime of high earnings. A study by Georgetown University in 2022 that ranks 4,500 colleges in the country for value showed South Dakota Mines is the top four-year public university in the state with 40-year lifetime average earnings of over $1.52 million. This number is nearly half a million dollars more than the second South Dakota school on the list. The Georgetown study also ranks Mines in the top 27 four-year public colleges in the nation for a lifetime return on investment. South Dakota Mines topped other schools on the list such as Rutgers, Purdue, Texas A&M and the University of Minnesota.