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. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 9 schools in South Dakota to determine which ones have the best value Master's 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.
Our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking is determined by first looking at the combined costs of average tuition, fees, and room and board before any aid is applied. 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:
Our 2024 rankings named Dakota State University the best value (no aid) school in South Dakota for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Madison, South Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
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 $13,879 per year for graduate students.
The quality degree programs at University of South Dakota helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota. USD is a public institution located in Vermillion, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of South Dakota is ranked #2 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,718 per year for graduate students.
Out of the 9 master’s degree schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Brookings, South Dakota.
South Dakota State University has the honor of being ranked #1 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $17,438 a year.
A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota list means Mount Marty University is a great place for students working on their degree. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Yankton, South Dakota.
Not only is Mount Marty University a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $18,204 a year.
The quality degree programs at University of Sioux Falls helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota. Sioux Falls, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Sioux Falls is ranked #7 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $15,040 a year.
Northern State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #6. Northern State University is a small public school located in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northern State University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,886 per year for graduate students.
Black Hills State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Spearfish, South Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
Black Hills State University has the honor of being ranked #9 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,316 per year for graduate students.
National American University - Rapid City landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking. National American University - Rapid City is a small private for-profit school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota.
National American University - Rapid City has the honor of being ranked #6 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $27,663 a year.
Augustana University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in South Dakota ranking. Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Augustana University has the honor of being ranked #5 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $45,554 a year.
View Best Value Master’s Degree Schools (No Aid) Nationwide >
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 9 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.