Applied Mathematics at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

At $21,000 in estimated debt for a math degree that similar programs suggest yields $60,930 in first-year earnings, South Dakota Mines appears positioned in the middle of the national pack—though we're working with peer program data rather than tracked outcomes from this specific school. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34 falls comfortably within reasonable territory, suggesting graduates from comparable programs could manage their loans on a typical starting salary. Applied mathematics programs nationally cluster tightly around these same figures, with the 75th percentile reaching $71,670, so there's upward potential but not dramatic variation across schools.

The challenge here is uncertainty. South Dakota has only two schools offering this degree, and neither reports actual graduate outcomes—likely due to small cohorts rather than poor performance. Mines' 1245 average SAT and 85% admission rate suggest a solid but accessible student body, which could work in favor of completion rates. The low Pell grant percentage (16%) indicates students typically come from families with some financial resources, potentially supplementing these estimated debt figures with family support.

For parents evaluating this program, the numbers from peer institutions suggest reasonable financial positioning, but you're essentially betting on Mines delivering outcomes consistent with the national median. If your student thrives in a technical, specialized environment and has backup options in related STEM fields, that bet becomes more manageable. Without school-specific track records, however, you're accepting more financial ambiguity than with programs that report actual graduate data.