by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. 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 $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. Due to the amount of income-based financial aid available, many 'high-priced' schools are more affordable than you think.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 8 schools in South Dakota to determine which ones have the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $48-$75k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Lake Area Technical Institute the best value (income $48-$75k) school in South Dakota for students working on their associate degree. This small public school is located in Watertown, South Dakota.
Not only is Lake Area Technical Institute a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $14,883.
Out of the 8 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 Technical College is a small public school located in Mitchell, South Dakota.
Not only is Mitchell Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in South Dakota for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $13,632.
A rank of #3 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota list means South Dakota State University is a great place for students working on their degree. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota.
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 $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $18,038.
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota list means Southeast Technical College is a great place for students working on their degree. Southeast Tech is a small public school situated 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. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $16,327.
A rank of #5 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota list means Dakota State University is a great place for students working on their degree. This small public school is located in Madison, South Dakota.
Dakota State University has the honor of being ranked #4 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $18,089.
University of Sioux Falls came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking. University of Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Not only is University of Sioux Falls a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $18,678.
Western Dakota Technical Institute landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking. Western Dakota Tech is located in Rapid City, South Dakota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Western Dakota Technical Institute has the honor of being ranked #9 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $15,666.
Black Hills State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking. BHSU is a public institution located in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Black Hills State University has the honor of being ranked #8 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $17,062.
View Best Value Associate Degree Schools (Income $48-$75k) Nationwide >
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 8 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.