2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 113,581 criminal justice and corrections students received their degree, making the major the 6th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, criminal justice and corrections graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,952 and had an average of $24,936 in loans still to pay off.

Across South Dakota, there were 208 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,283 and $27,581 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 73 criminal justice and corrections graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice and corrections. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality criminal justice and corrections programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the criminal justice and corrections program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections 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 Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 3 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota

#1

Lake Area Technical Institute

Watertown, South Dakota

#1 in overall quality

$10,862 Average Net Price

$37,208 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Area Technical Institute. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Watertown, South Dakota, and it awarded 12 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

LATI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota” list. It costs about $10,862 for south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend LATI.

Read more about Criminal Justice & Corrections at LATI

#2

Western Dakota Technical Institute

Rapid City, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$13,268 Average Net Price

$39,729 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Dakota Technical Institute landed the #2 spot on the list. Western Dakota Technical Institute is a small public school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota. It awarded 30 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Western Dakota Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota” list. The estimated yearly cost for Western Dakota Technical Institute is $13,268 for South Dakota Associate Degree Criminal Justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Western Dakota Technical Institute

#3

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

#3 in overall quality

$12,707 Average Net Price

$38,289 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Technical College landed the #3 spot on the list. Southeast Technical College is a small school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that handed out 14 associates’s criminal justice degrees in 2019-2020.

Southeast Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southeast Technical College is $12,707 for south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southeast Technical College

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $30-$48k)

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.

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