What is the your guys’ general opinion of this school?
Very good technical (engineering) school. Very inexpensive.
Awesome school and cheap.
Best bargain in STEM colleges around.
NM Tech is also a really good bargain but SD Mines certainly is too.
Don’t know much about it but from these boards, I’ve seen that SD Mines is a good inexpensive school if you want to go into the STEM field.
Now what I want to know is that if its such a good school for cheap why isn’t it more well known? Why is there no good recognition for a school that’s so great for the price?
Primarily because of its small size, location, niche student body, and limited selection of majors.
Personally, I love schools like New Mexico Tech and SDSoM, but the big name, big city, prestigious schools tend to be more desirable to the average high school student.
Yep, they’re small, niche, with few majors, mostly male, and in the middle of nowhere (and in the case of SD Mines, freezing-ash cold during a 5-month winter).
Also, because they’re public, they don’t market much (and may not have the money to do so) or feel an urgent need to engage in practices to climb rankings.
Also keep in mind that both NMIT and SDSM are schools in sparsely populated regions of the country, problematic when the vast majority of students prefer to stay within 500 miles of home.
@whenhen, NMIMT.
Mainly SD School of Mines isn’t as well known because of its limited majors and small size. Besides, no one first thinks about going out to South Dakota. 
No pun intended but for some, SD School of Mines could be their diamond in the rough.
SDSM is very impressive, small technical school with a great international reputation in engineering and geology. I’ve often seem professors referenced in geostatistical journals. The location is a small, somewhat isolated and not terribly prosperous town of Rapid City. Just an average, rural city on the plains. There is some poverty, especially among the Native population.
There is lots of great hiking, biking, etc. in the nearby hills (Badlands NP) but not much in the way of cultural events. So if you go, it would be for school and not much else. Winters can be cold.
I read some materials that they have the best ROI of any school in the country.
SD is not glamorous, but if you want a strong education in those fields at an extremely reasonable price, don’t worry: The employers will find you, and recognize the value of the education.
Good luck!
Fractalmstr hit all the right points. SD Mines is an excellent STEM school and quite well regarded by professional engineers and by the major corporations that recruit there; Boeing, ConAgra, 3M, Dow Chemical, Cargill, Microsoft, NASA, Intel etc. (not to mention the mining, mineral/natural resources firms). The son of a friend whom is a Mines student will start his SECOND internship/co-op next month. The latest job is with a major computer technology firm. His first internship last year was with one of the federally funded national laboratories.
SD Mines is host to various major research projects. But to the average Joe College in the street (and his parents), it’s a relatively unknown, remote school. The new president, a Rhodes Scholar and former member of Congress, wants to raise the school’s profile even higher. The students love the school, the state government eagerly supports it, and Rapid City itself has its charms. The area is a great outdoor recreational region. Mount Rushmore is about 30 miles down the road. But yeah, the place is a bear to get to. Nearest flight connections are Denver or Minneapolis, and the trip can be a hassle.
By the way, you’re mistaken about the winter weather in Rapid City. The climate in the Black Hills region of South Dakota is actually relatively mild. The cold season is not particularly long. Winter snowfall is not constant. And the temperature can easily be 70 degrees in March, as it was this year. Of course, there was a surprise heavy snowfall two weeks ago (which quickly melted because of subsequent warm temperatures) and the super surprise October blizzard in 2013. Those rare evens are essential one-or two day stories.