2027 Best Value Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools in South Dakota
[Agriculture & Agriculture Operations](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for agriculture & agriculture operations students.
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2027 Best Value Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools in South Dakota
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in agriculture & agriculture operations, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools
Mitchell Technical Institute tops our 2027 list of the best value agriculture & agriculture operations schools in South Dakota. Located in the town of Mitchell, Mitchell Technical Institute is a small public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,524. Students borrow a median of $12,000 to complete the agriculture & agriculture operations program here. Early-career agriculture & agriculture operations graduates make about $44,436. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Lake Area Technical Institute is a great value for students pursuing a degree in agriculture & agriculture operations, landing the #2 spot this year. Lake Area Technical Institute is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Watertown. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $6,718. Students borrow a median of $12,000 to complete the agriculture & agriculture operations program here. Early-career agriculture & agriculture operations graduates make about $41,340. That is a strong return on a $12,000 median debt.
Southeast Technical Institute is a great value for students pursuing a degree in agriculture & agriculture operations, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Sioux Falls, Southeast Technical Institute is a mid-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $7,650. Typical student debt for agriculture & agriculture operations graduates is $18,442. Early-career agriculture & agriculture operations graduates make about $48,654. That is a strong return on a $18,442 median debt.
South Dakota State University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in agriculture & agriculture operations, landing the #4 spot this year. South Dakota State University is a large public school located in the town of Brookings. In-state tuition and fees average $9,299, with out-of-state students paying around $12,809. Agriculture & Agriculture Operations graduates carry a median of $22,846 in student loans. Soon after graduation, agriculture & agriculture operations degree recipients from South Dakota State University generally make around $50,106. That is a strong return on a $22,846 median debt. Roughly 98% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.
