2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota ranking - to help you make that decision.
Our analysis looked at 15 schools in South Dakota to determine which ones were the best for veterans and active service men and women. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include percentage of costs covered by the GI Bill®, whether or not the school has a student's veteran organization, and the school's overall quality.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
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Top Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our 2021 rankings named South Dakota State University the best school in South Dakota for veterans working on their bachelor’s degree. This fairly large public school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 2,663 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 387 of the 11,405 students enrolled at South Dakota State were GI Bill® students, of which 192 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,217. South Dakota State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%. In addition to its best for vets ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, South Dakota State is ranked #4 for overall quality in South Dakota.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Dakota State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for veterans in South Dakota. Dakota State is a public institution located in Madison, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 559 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Among the 3,186 students enrolled at Dakota State, 195 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 122 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,898. Dakota State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Out of the 15 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Technical College landed the #3 spot on the list. Southeast Technical College is a small public school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that handed out 614 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, Southeast Tech supports 2,330 students, and 190 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 106 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,836. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
In addition to its best for vets ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Southeast Tech is ranked #5 for overall quality in South Dakota.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota list. This small public school is located in Rapid City, South Dakota, and it awarded 521 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Of the 2,475 students enrolled at SD Mines, 143 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 81 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,309. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota list means University of South Dakota is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. University of South Dakota is a medium-sized public school located in Vermillion, South Dakota that handed out 2,248 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 341 of the 9,459 students enrolled at USD were GI Bill® students, of which 170 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,332. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Black Hills State University landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota ranking. This small public school is located in Spearfish, South Dakota, and it awarded 515 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 244 of the 3,608 students enrolled at BHSU were GI Bill® students, of which 153 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,539. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Augustana University landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota ranking. Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 690 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 26 of the 2,019 students enrolled at Augustana Sioux Falls were GI Bill® students, of which 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,645. On top of their other funding sources, 5 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. In addition to its best for vets ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Augustana Sioux Falls is ranked #1 for overall quality in South Dakota.
With a ranking of #8, University of Sioux Falls did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota list. University of Sioux Falls is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 569 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
According to our most recent data, University of Sioux Falls supports 1,628 students, and 53 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 33 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,816. University of Sioux Falls does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northern State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota ranking. Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, the small public school handed out 361 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Of the 3,431 students enrolled at NSU, 51 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 25 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,871. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a ranking of #10, Mitchell Technical College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota list. Mitchell Tech is a public institution located in Mitchell, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 308 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, Mitchell Tech supports 1,162 students, and 64 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 30 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,568. Mitchell Tech does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Western Dakota Technical Institute did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #11. Western Dakota Technical Institute is a small public school located in Rapid City, South Dakota that handed out 202 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 124 of the 1,324 students enrolled at Western Dakota Tech were GI Bill® students, of which 72 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,186. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Mount Marty University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota list. Located in Yankton, South Dakota, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 224 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2019-2020.
Our most recent data shows that 23 of the 1,167 students enrolled at Mount Marty were GI Bill® students, of which 17 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,428. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Mount Marty not only placed well in our veterans ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Schools in South Dakota list.
With a ranking of #14, Dakota Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota list. Dakota Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mitchell, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 201 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
According to our most recent data, Dakota Wesleyan University supports 933 students, and 19 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 13 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $20,038. During this same period, 6 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Dakota Wesleyan University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Presentation College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Veterans in South Dakota ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and it awarded 174 bachelor’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Of the 625 students enrolled at Presentation College, 21 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 14 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,913. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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Best Colleges in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 15 schools only.
**GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
- Removed schools reflect instances of new data identified post-publication that warrant removal of a school from this year’s ranking.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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