by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. College Factual has developed its Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision.
In This Year's Value Report:
We analyzed 10 schools across South Dakota to determine which have the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
To determine the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking, we first add average tuition, fees, and room and board costs (without aid) together. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good 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.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
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:
Lake Area Technical Institute tops this year’s ranking as the best value (no aid) school for associate degrees in South Dakota for overall quality. Located in Watertown, South Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
Not only is Lake Area Technical Institute a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $13,988 a year.
The quality degree programs at South Dakota State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota. This fairly large public school is located in Brookings, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, South Dakota State University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,353 a year for undergraduates.
Out of the 10 associate degree schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Mitchell Technical College landed the #3 spot on the list. Mitchell Tech is located in Mitchell, South Dakota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Mitchell Technical College has the honor of being ranked #3 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,524 a year for undergraduates.
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota list means Dakota State University is a great place for students working on their degree. Dakota State is a public institution located in Madison, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Dakota State University is ranked #4 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,781 a year for undergraduates.
A rank of #5 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota list means Southeast Technical College is a great place for students working on their degree. This small public school is 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. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,054 a year for undergraduates.
Black Hills State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking. BHSU is a small public school situated in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Not only is Black Hills State University a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,316 a year for undergraduates.
Western Dakota Technical Institute did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Western Dakota Technical Institute is ranked #9 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,532 a year for undergraduates.
Read full value report on Western Dakota Technical Institute
University of Sioux Falls landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking. University of Sioux Falls is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is University of Sioux Falls a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $27,830 a year.
National American University - Rapid City landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking. Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, the school is a small private for-profit institution.
Not only is National American University - Rapid City a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $27,873 a year.
Read full value report on National American University - Rapid City
With a ranking of #10, Oglala Lakota College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota list. Located in Kyle, South Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
Not only is Oglala Lakota College a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,884 a year.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 10 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.