2026 Best Value Counseling Psychology Schools in South Dakota
[Counseling Psychology](/majors/psychology/clinical-counseling-applied-psychology/counseling-psychology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for counseling psychology students.
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2026 Best Value Counseling Psychology Schools in South Dakota
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the counseling psychology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Counseling Psychology Schools
Leading the list is South Dakota State University, our #1 best value for counseling psychology in South Dakota. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State University is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $9,299 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $12,809. Typical student debt for counseling psychology graduates is $24,989. Counseling Psychology graduates of South Dakota State University earn a median of $45,975 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,989 median debt. South Dakota State University admits about 98% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of South Dakota earned it the #2 place for counseling psychology. University Of South Dakota is a large public school located in the town of Vermillion. Students from in state pay about $9,432 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $12,942. Counseling Psychology graduates carry a median of $26,322 in student loans. Early-career counseling psychology graduates make about $48,320. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 99% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 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.
