by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking. Due to the amount of income-based financial aid available, many 'high-priced' schools are more affordable than you think.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 12 schools in South Dakota to determine which ones have the best value programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $48-$75k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below: Our 2024 rankings named Lake Area Technical Institute the best value (income $48-$75k) school in South Dakota. Located in Watertown, South Dakota, the school is a small public institution. Lake Area Technical Institute has the honor of being ranked #2 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $14,883. The quality degree programs at Mitchell Technical College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota. This small public school is located in Mitchell, South Dakota. Not only is Mitchell Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in South Dakota for overall quality. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $13,632. 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 $48-$75k) in South Dakota list. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school. 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 $48-$75k per year is $18,038. The quality degree programs at Mount Marty University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Yankton, South Dakota. Mount Marty University has the honor of being ranked #3 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $17,963. 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. Dakota State is a public institution located in Madison, South Dakota. In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Dakota State University is ranked #6 for quality in the state of South Dakota. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $18,089.1
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Southeast Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking. Southeast Tech is a public institution located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Not only is Southeast Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in South Dakota for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $48-$75k per year is $16,327.
University of South Dakota landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking. Vermillion, South Dakota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school. In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of South Dakota is ranked #5 for quality in the state of South Dakota. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $19,130. Northern State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking. NSU is a small public school situated in Aberdeen, South Dakota. In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northern State University is ranked #9 for quality in the state of South Dakota. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $17,487. University of Sioux Falls landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. University of Sioux Falls has the honor of being ranked #11 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $18,678. Black Hills State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #10. Black Hills State University is a small public school located in Spearfish, South Dakota. In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Black Hills State University is ranked #12 for quality in the state of South Dakota. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $17,062.7
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With a ranking of #11, Western Dakota Technical Institute did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota list. Western Dakota Tech is a public institution located in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Western Dakota Technical Institute has the honor of being ranked #13 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $15,666.
Learn More About Value at Western Dakota Technical Institute
Augustana University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $48-$75k) in South Dakota ranking, coming in at #12. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Augustana University has the honor of being ranked #4 in South Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $48-$75k a year pay an annual average net price of $24,030.12
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.