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Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota

13 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in South Dakota to see which programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a .

Our 2023 rankings named South Dakota State University the most popular school in South Dakota for nursing students. Located in the remote town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a fairly 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.

Full Nursing at South Dakota State University Report

#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

Out of the 13 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, University of South Dakota landed the # 2 spot on the list. USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Vermillion.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at USD accumulate an average of around $31,870 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $129, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of South Dakota

#3

Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Presentation College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Presentation College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Aberdeen.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Presentation College accumulate an average of around $46,511 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Presentation College

#4

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. Augustana Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Sioux Falls.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Augustana Sioux Falls take out is $27,000.

Read full report on Nursing at Augustana University

#5

Mount Marty University

Yankton, SD

Out of the 13 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount Marty University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Yankton, Mount Marty is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Mount Marty take out is $28,832.

Full Nursing at Mount Marty University Report

#6

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

Southeast Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota ranking. Southeast Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Sioux Falls.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Southeast Tech accumulate an average of around $33,500 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Southeast Technical College Report

#6

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD

University of Sioux Falls ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. University of Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux Falls.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at University of Sioux Falls take out is $31,000.

Full Nursing at University of Sioux Falls Report

Dakota Wesleyan University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the remote town of Mitchell, Dakota Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Dakota Wesleyan University carry an average student debt load of $34,288.

Full Nursing at Dakota Wesleyan University Report

Lake Area Technical Institute ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota list. LATI is a small public school located in the remote town of Watertown.

Full Nursing at Lake Area Technical Institute Report

Western Dakota Technical Institute came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in South Dakota ranking. Western Dakota Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Rapid City.

Full Nursing at Western Dakota Technical Institute Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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 13 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 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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