by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which college 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 Top South Dakota Colleges ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
We analyzed 13 colleges and universities across South Dakota to determine which were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Lake Area Technical Institute to be the best school for overall quality in South Dakota in this year’s ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from LATI go into careers with an average salary of $45,473 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 13 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount Marty University landed the #2 spot on the list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Mount Marty make an average of $48,179 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #3 in South Dakota on this year’s overall quality ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State make an average of $55,070 per year during the early years of their career.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Southeast Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in South Dakota.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $46,709 during the early years of their career..
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National American University - Rapid City. It ranked #5 on our 2025 Best Colleges in South Dakota list.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from National American University - Rapid City make an average of $37,325 per year during the early years of their career.
Dakota State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in South Dakota list.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Dakota State make an average of $50,970 a year.
University of South Dakota came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in South Dakota ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from USD make an average of $51,926 per year during the early years of their career.
Mitchell Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges in South Dakota list.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Mitchell Tech make an average of $50,743 per year during the early years of their career.
Augustana University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in South Dakota list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $59,217 during the early years of their career..
Northern State University landed the #10 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Dakota ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from NSU make an average of $47,618 a year.
Black Hills State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in South Dakota list.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from BHSU go into careers with an average salary of $46,674 during the early years of their career.
University of Sioux Falls came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in South Dakota ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from University of Sioux Falls make an average of $54,521 a year.
With a ranking of #13, Western Dakota Technical Institute did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in South Dakota list.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Western Dakota Tech go into careers with an average salary of $40,240 during the early years of their career.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 13 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.