For most parents, the major question and concern is how much it will cost for your student to attend Mitchell Tech.  The cost of attending will vary depending upon the program your son or daughter chooses and the number of enrolled credit hours per semester.

Tuition and Fees

The tuition is set by the South Dakota Board of Education. Tuition and fees are payable at the time of registration. There is no difference between resident and non-resident tuition.  View the tuition and fees here.

Graduation Cap, Gown and Tassel

Graduation gowns are purchased in the MTI Bookstore for a nominal charge and are required for participation in the graduation ceremony.  If a student is graduating with honors, honor cords will be provided by MTI for use at the graduation ceremony and collected at the conclusion of graduation.  Students who wish to keep the honor cord as a memento may purchase a separate one at the Bookstore.

Laptop Computers

Many programs at MTI now require laptop computers so that students can effectively integrate computing skills with their technical education.  Many resources that instructors assign are online or require specialty software.  To address these needs, MTI requires that students entering laptop programs purchase their laptop from MTI.  As a parent, you may have a concern about the price you see listed for an MTI laptop, averaging about $1000.  Please be aware that our machines come fully loaded with the software required for the student's specific program. 

Whether it's Microsoft Office, or a specialty software for a technical program, students' needs will be met by MTI laptops.  And our laptops are serviced for free by our Technology office. A student will not be able to bring a laptop from home into an MTI laptop program as we cannot provide support services for every make and model of laptop.

Please consider this carefully before making any laptop purchase and check with the Admissions office for more details.

Help Desk

MTI's IT department maintains a Help Desk for students.  Help with technology issues may be requested online or via telephone.  A link to the Help Desk is included in a student's MyMTI account.

Additional Expenses

Students are required to purchase designated book, supplies, tools and uniforms as assigned by the instructor in each course.  Most programs specify tools and/or uniforms that are characteristic of the occupation for which the student is enrolled.  Many of these materials can be purchased at the MTI Bookstore.  In some cases, students will be advised to purchase tools at MTI-sponsored tool fairs.

Students who enroll need to prepare for some initial expenses at the start of the term.  Books, supplies, and tools will be required for all classes.  MTI and the MTI Bookstore do not allow advances or charging of items from the Bookstore (except with a credit card).  Financial aid loans are not available to first time borrowers until the 30th day of the term.  Please budget accordingly when making your school plans.

Indebtedness Policy

Any student having unpaid bills at MTI will not be allowed to register in any new term during the period in which that bill remains unsettled. Indebtedness includes unpaid amounts for tuition, books, fees, locker keys, library, parking, shop/laboratories, and any other charges incurred by the student and owed to the Institute. Grades, transcripts, diplomas, degrees, and certificates will not be issued until the indebtedness is settled.

Return of Title IV Funds Policy

Students attending Mitchell Technical Institute who withdraw from all classes before 60% of a semester or term has lapsed are entitled to have a portion of their institutional costs returned to the federal financial aid program that provided the funds.  The order in which refunds are applied to the financial aid programs is listed below.

Financial aid disbursed is earned according to what percentage of a semester the student has attended.  If a student has attended only 10% of a semester and withdraws, the student has earned only that portion of financial aid and the remaining 90% must be returned to the financial aid program(s).  Also, the Institute retains only that portion of the institutional costs and will return the remaining amount to the student’s financial aid program(s) that provided the funds.

If the amount of the Institute’s refund does not satisfy the portion of funds that must be returned, it becomes the student’s responsibility to satisfy the remaining amount.  Therefore, students receiving Federal Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Grants may have to return a portion of these funds if that amount exceeds institutional charges.  An example of how the policy works can be found in the MTI Student Handbook.

Pell Grants and Academic Competitiveness Grant Refunds

If a student with a Pell Grant or Academic Competitiveness Grant drops to less than full-time status during the first ten days of the semester, any refund goes to the student’s Pell Grant.  In addition, if the student received an ACG, the student must repay all of those funds. 

Appeals Process

Students may appeal their refund amount to a committee consisting of the Vice-President of Academic Affairs, the Vice-President of Administrative Services, and the Financial Aid Coordinator if extenuating circumstances forced the student to withdraw from MTI.  Please note:  The MTI Bookstore is a separate entity and abides by a separate refund policy on a case-by-case basis.

Returned Checks

Checks returned marked "insufficient funds" or "no account" will result in a $20.00 service charge being assessed to the student. No more checks will be accepted by the school until the charge and fee have been paid.

Bookstore Payment Policy

All purchases made in the MTI Bookstore are on a "cash only" basis. Mastercard, Visa, and Discover cards are accepted.  Books will not be "charged" to a student's account.