by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision. A school that typically has a high sticker price may actually be very affordable, depending on how much need-based financial aid you receive.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
After analyzing 12 schools in South Dakota, we came up with our list of those that offered the best value programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Lake Area Technical Institute the best value (income $30-$48k) school in South Dakota. LATI is a small public school situated in Watertown, South Dakota.
Not only is Lake Area Technical Institute a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $11,848.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mitchell Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. Mitchell Tech is located in Mitchell, South Dakota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Mitchell Technical College has the honor of being ranked #7 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $11,029.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. This fairly large public school is located in Brookings, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, South Dakota State University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $15,639.
Out of the 12 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Dakota landed the #4 spot on the list. USD is a public institution located in Vermillion, South Dakota.
University of South Dakota has the honor of being ranked #5 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $16,321.
Out of the 12 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Dakota State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Madison, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Dakota State University has the honor of being ranked #6 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $16,350.
Mount Marty University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #6. Mount Marty is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Yankton, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Mount Marty University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of South Dakota. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $17,194.
Southeast Technical College landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking. Southeast Technical College is a small public school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southeast Technical College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of South Dakota. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $16,041.
Northern State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. NSU is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Northern State University a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in South Dakota for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $15,992.
With a ranking of #9, Black Hills State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. This small public school is located in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Not only is Black Hills State University a great value, but it is also ranked #12 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $13,989.
University of Sioux Falls did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #10. University of Sioux Falls is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is University of Sioux Falls a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $16,870.
With a ranking of #11, Augustana University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Augustana University has the honor of being ranked #4 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $21,443.
Western Dakota Technical Institute ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in South Dakota list. Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
Western Dakota Technical Institute has the honor of being ranked #13 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $14,259.
Learn More About Value at Western Dakota Technical Institute
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
