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2025 Best Registered Nursing Schools in South Dakota

11 Colleges in South Dakota
928 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded
Registered Nursing is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in South Dakota to determine which ones were the best for registered nursing students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 928 degrees in registered nursing annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Registered Nursing School

Best Registered Nursing Schools in South Dakota Your choice of registered nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Registered Nursing School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Registered Nursing Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Registered Nursing
Bachelor's Degrees in Registered Nursing
Master's Degrees in Registered Nursing
Doctor's Degrees in Registered Nursing

The registered nursing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Registered Nursing Schools in South Dakota. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Registered Nursing in South Dakota

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the registered nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top South Dakota Schools in Registered Nursing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In SD
383 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat South Dakota State University if you want to pursue a degree in registered nursing. South Dakota State is a fairly large public university located in the town of Brookings. A Best Colleges rank of #425 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means South Dakota State is a great university overall.

There were about 383 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from South Dakota State University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In SD
163 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in registered nursing has to take a look at University of South Dakota. Located in the town of Vermillion, USD is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 7th out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were roughly 163 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at USD in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from University of South Dakota

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN Program Name

With the affordable and transfer-friendly online RN to BSN program at Southern New Hampshire University, you can build upon your prior educational journey and enhance your professional experience in a program designed to fit around your schedule.

More information about a degree in BS in Nursing - RN to BSN from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In SD
28.0% Growth in Graduates

Mount Marty University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in registered nursing. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit university located in the remote town of Yankton. A Best Colleges rank of #293 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mount Marty is a great university overall.

There were roughly 25 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Mount Marty in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Mount Marty University

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In SD

Lake Area Technical Institute is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in registered nursing. LATI is a small public school located in the town of Watertown. A Best Colleges rank of #274 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means LATI is a great school overall.

There were about 20 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at LATI in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Lake Area Technical Institute

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In SD
50 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls, Southeast Tech is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #482 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Southeast Tech is a great college overall.

There were roughly 50 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Southeast Tech in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Southeast Technical College

6
Augustana Sioux Falls crest
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In SD
80 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 9th out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were roughly 80 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Augustana Sioux Falls in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Augustana University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In SD
40 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Dakota Wesleyan University is a fairly small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Mitchell.

There were approximately 40 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Dakota Wesleyan University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Dakota Wesleyan University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSN Program Name

At Southern New Hampshire University, we understand the demands placed on today's nursing professionals. When it comes to your education, consider saving money and time by electing the RN to MSN pathway. Eligible students will complete graduate courses within their undergraduate program. This pathway allows you to gain a BSN along the way and ultimately shorten your time within the MSN Nursing Education or Population Healthcare tracks.

More information about a degree in BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSN from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In SD
74 Registered Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls, University of Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 12th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were approximately 74 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at University of Sioux Falls in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from University of Sioux Falls

9

Located in the town of Mitchell, Mitchell Tech is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 8th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.More information about a degree in registered nursing from Mitchell Technical College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In SD
10.0% Growth in Graduates

Western Dakota Tech is a small public school located in the small city of Rapid City. This school ranks 13th out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were roughly 20 registered nursing students who graduated with this degree at Western Dakota Tech in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in registered nursing from Western Dakota Technical Institute

Best Registered Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Registered Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 742 12,882
Missouri 693 4,413
Iowa 648 2,499
Kansas 599 2,307
Nebraska 500 1,571
North Dakota 416 909

View All Rankings >

Registered Nursing is one of 23 different types of Nursing programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Registered Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 54
Nurse Anesthetist 36
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 10

View All Registered Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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