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2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota

12 Colleges
$66,704 Avg Salary
$38,228 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in South Dakota with 1,022 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in South Dakota to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

#1

Mount Marty University

Yankton, SD

Our analysis found Mount Marty University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in South Dakota. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Yankton.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Mount Marty carry an average student debtload of $28,832.

Read full report on Nursing at Mount Marty University

#2

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Augustana Sioux Falls take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

The excellent programs at South Dakota State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Dakota. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at South Dakota State accumulate an average of around $28,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $162.

Full Nursing at South Dakota State University Report

#4

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

The excellent programs at University of South Dakota helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Dakota. Located in the town of Vermillion, USD is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at USD accumulate an average of around $31,870 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $129.

Read full report on Nursing at University of South Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Area Technical Institute. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Located in the town of Watertown, LATI is a public school with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Lake Area Technical Institute Report

#6

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

With a ranking of #6, Southeast Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the rural area of Sioux Falls, Southeast Tech is a public college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Southeast Tech take out $33,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#7

Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD

Presentation College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the town of Aberdeen, Presentation College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Nursing majors at Presentation College take out an average of $46,511 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at Presentation College

#8

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD

University of Sioux Falls did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Sioux Falls, University of Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at University of Sioux Falls accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.

Read More…

Dakota Wesleyan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Dakota Wesleyan University is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Mitchell.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Dakota Wesleyan University accumulate an average of around $34,288 in student debt.

Read More…

Western Dakota Technical Institute landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Rapid City, Western Dakota Tech is a public school with a small student population.

Read full report on Nursing at Western Dakota Technical Institute

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
North Dakota 976
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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