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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

4 Schools Ranked
$6,346 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,871 Avg Student Debt*

It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 4 schools in South Dakota to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Oglala Lakota College

Kyle, South Dakota
14 Total Awards
$2,684 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Oglala Lakota College the best value school in South Dakota for nursing students working on their associate degree. Oglala Lakota College is a public institution located in Kyle, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Oglala Lakota College are $2,684 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,769 in student loans.

Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Oglala Lakota College. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.

Oglala Lakota College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list.

Full Oglala Lakota College Report

#2

Lake Area Technical Institute

Watertown, South Dakota
26 Total Awards
$6,718 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Lake Area Technical Institute is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Watertown, South Dakota, the small public school awarded 26 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at LATI are $6,718 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,724 in loans while pursuing their degree.

LATI does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 44% took at least some of their classes online.

LATI also took the #1 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota rankings.

Read full report on Lake Area Technical Institute

#3

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, South Dakota
56 Total Awards
$7,650 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s value ranking, Southeast Technical College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the small public school awarded 56 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Tech are $7,650 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $20,480 in student loans.

Some students may be able to take online classes at Southeast Tech. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 45% took at least some of their classes online.

Southeast Tech also took the #2 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota rankings.

Read full report on Southeast Technical College

#4

Western Dakota Technical Institute

Rapid City, South Dakota
18 Total Awards
$8,332 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent associate degree programs at Western Dakota Technical Institute helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in South Dakota. Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, the small public school handed out 18 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Western Dakota Tech are $8,332 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,643 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

Western Dakota Tech does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 43% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Western Dakota Tech is ranked #3 for overall quality in South Dakota.

Read More…

Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 4 schools only.

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).
  • 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%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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