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2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota

12 Colleges
$66,704 Avg Salary
$38,228 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in South Dakota. In total, 1,022 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in South Dakota.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in South Dakota to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

#1

Mount Marty University

Yankton, SD

Our 2023 rankings named Mount Marty University the best school in South Dakota for nursing students. Located in the remote town of Yankton, Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Mount Marty take out an average of $28,832 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#2

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Augustana Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Augustana Sioux Falls carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Read full report on Nursing at Augustana University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend South Dakota State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public school with a large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from South Dakota State take out $28,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $162, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at South Dakota State University

#4

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

The excellent programs at University of South Dakota helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in South Dakota. USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.

On average, nursing graduates from USD take out $31,870 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $129, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of South Dakota Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Area Technical Institute. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. LATI is a small public school located in the town of Watertown.

Read full report on Nursing at Lake Area Technical Institute

#6

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

With a ranking of #6, Southeast Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Southeast Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Sioux Falls.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Southeast Tech carry an average student debtload of $33,500.

Read full report on Nursing at Southeast Technical College

#7

Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD

Presentation College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Presentation College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Aberdeen.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Presentation College take out is $46,511.

Read full report on Nursing at Presentation College

#8

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD

University of Sioux Falls did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. University of Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls.

On average, nursing graduates from University of Sioux Falls take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at University of Sioux Falls Report

Dakota Wesleyan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the town of Mitchell, Dakota Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Dakota Wesleyan University take out $34,288 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

With a ranking of #10, Western Dakota Technical Institute did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Western Dakota Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Rapid City.

Read full report on Nursing at Western Dakota Technical Institute

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
North Dakota 976

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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