by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. This list may shock you as many typically expensive schools are very generous with need-based financial aid.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 9 schools across South Dakota to determine which have the best value Associate Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Lake Area Technical Institute to be the best value (income $30-$48k) school for associate degrees in South Dakota in this year’s ranking. Lake Area Technical Institute is a small public school located in Watertown, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lake Area Technical Institute is ranked #2 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $11,848.
Out of the 9 associate degree schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Mitchell Technical College landed the #2 spot on the list. Mitchell, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Mitchell Technical College is ranked #3 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $11,029.
A rank of #3 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list means South Dakota State University is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Not only is South Dakota State University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in South Dakota for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $15,639.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oglala Lakota College. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. Oglala Lakota College is a small public school situated in Kyle, South Dakota.
Not only is Oglala Lakota College a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in South Dakota for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,204.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dakota State University. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. Dakota State is located in Madison, South Dakota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Dakota State University a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in South Dakota for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $16,350.
Southeast Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking. Southeast Tech is a public institution located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southeast Technical College is ranked #5 for quality in the state of South Dakota. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $16,041.
With a ranking of #7, Black Hills State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. BHSU is a public institution located in Spearfish, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Black Hills State University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $13,989.
University of Sioux Falls did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #8. University of Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
University of Sioux Falls has the honor of being ranked #6 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $16,870.
Western Dakota Technical Institute did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #9. Western Dakota Tech is located in Rapid City, South Dakota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Western Dakota Technical Institute a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in South Dakota for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $14,259.
View Best Value Associate Degree Schools (Income $30-$48k) Nationwide >
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 9 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.