2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in criminal justice and corrections. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent criminal justice and corrections programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the criminal justice and corrections program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools

The criminal justice 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 “Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 3 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota

#1

Lake Area Technical Institute

Watertown, South Dakota

#1 in overall quality

$13,306 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 $48-$75k 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. The yearly cost to attend Lake Area Technical Institute is $13,306 for south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Criminal Justice & Corrections at LATI

#2

Western Dakota Technical Institute

Rapid City, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$16,063 Average Net Price

$39,729 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Dakota Technical Institute. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k. Western Dakota Tech is a public institution located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k list, Western Dakota Tech has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota” ranking. It costs about $16,063 for south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Western Dakota Tech.

Full Western Dakota Tech Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

#3

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

#3 in overall quality

$14,785 Average Net Price

$38,289 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southeast Technical College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Criminal Justice Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $48-$75k. Southeast Tech is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 associates’s criminal justice degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k list, Southeast Tech has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota” ranking. It costs about $14,785 for south dakota associate degree criminal justice students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Southeast Tech.

Full Southeast Technical College Criminal Justice & Corrections Report

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $48-$75k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Criminal Justice & Corrections (Income $48-$75k)

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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