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2026 Best Value Agronomy & Crop Science Schools in South Dakota

[Agronomy & Crop Science](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/plant-sciences/agronomy-and-crop-science/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong agronomy & crop science education at a price that pays off.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for agronomy & crop science students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Agronomy & Crop Science Schools in South Dakota

2026 Best Value Agronomy & Crop Science Schools in South Dakota

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the agronomy & crop science degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Agronomy & Crop Science Schools

1

Mitchell Technical Institute
Mitchell, SD

$7,524 In-State Tuition & Fees

$12,730 Avg Student Debt

$50,743 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in agronomy & crop science, no school beat Mitchell Technical Institute this year. Set in the town of Mitchell, Mitchell Technical Institute is a small public institution. Students from in state pay about $7,524 in tuition and fees. Agronomy & Crop Science graduates carry a median of $12,730 in student loans. Early-career agronomy & crop science graduates make about $47,686. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.

2

South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD

$9,299 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,125 Avg Student Debt

$55,070 Median Earnings (10yr)

A rank of #2 makes South Dakota State University one of the best values for agronomy & crop science. Set in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State University is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $9,299, compared with $12,809 for out-of-state students. Agronomy & Crop Science graduates carry a median of $23,125 in student loans. Agronomy & Crop Science graduates of South Dakota State University earn a median of $58,787 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 98% of applicants are accepted.

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Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked 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 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.