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Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota

13 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota ranking. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in South Dakota to see which programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a .

Our 2023 rankings named South Dakota State University the most popular school in South Dakota for nursing students. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the 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

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#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

The excellent programs at University of South Dakota helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Dakota. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USD take out is $31,870. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $129.

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#3

Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Presentation College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Located in the remote town of Aberdeen, Presentation College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Presentation College take out is $46,511.

Full Nursing at Presentation College Report

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#4

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Augustana University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Located in the city of Sioux Falls, Augustana Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Augustana Sioux Falls take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Augustana University Report

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#5

Mount Marty University

Yankton, SD

The excellent programs at Mount Marty University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Dakota. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Yankton.

Nursing majors at Mount Marty take out an average of $28,832 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#6

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

Southeast Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the rural area of Sioux Falls, Southeast Tech is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Southeast Tech take out is $33,500.

Full Nursing at Southeast Technical College Report

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#6

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD

With a ranking of #6, University of Sioux Falls did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls, University of Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at University of Sioux Falls take out an average of $31,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Dakota Wesleyan University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Dakota Wesleyan University is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Mitchell.

On average, nursing graduates from Dakota Wesleyan University take out $34,288 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Lake Area Technical Institute ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Located in the remote town of Watertown, LATI is a public college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Lake Area Technical Institute Report

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

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 13 schools only.

  • 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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