2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in South Dakota

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Engineering is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 6th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 200,458 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,888 and had an average of $23,564 in loans still to pay off.

Across South Dakota, there were 627 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 487 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent engineering programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Engineering Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 2 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in South Dakota

#1

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

#1 in overall quality

$15,285 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 163 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” list. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota State is $15,285 for South Dakota Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at South Dakota State

#2

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Rapid City, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$15,464 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in South Dakota For Those Making $0-$30k. SD Mines is a public institution located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 322 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SD Mines also took the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in South Dakota” ranking. The yearly cost to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is $15,464 for South Dakota Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.

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