2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across South Dakota, there were 259 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,700 and $21,538 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 140 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts general studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for south dakota associate degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 2 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota

#1

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota

#1 in overall quality

$16,273 Average Net Price

$26,933 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k list. South Dakota State University is a fairly large public school situated in Brookings, South Dakota. It awarded 58 associates’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $16,273 for South Dakota Associate Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend South Dakota State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at South Dakota State University

#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota

#2 in overall quality

$15,866 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for an Associate in South Dakota For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, this medium-sized public school handed out 25 degrees to qualified associates’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

USD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Dakota is $15,866 for South Dakota Associate Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at University of South Dakota

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k)

Notes and References

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%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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