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Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

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2023 Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

9 Schools Ranked
$10,446 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,871 Avg Student Debt*

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 9 schools in South Dakota to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for healthcare students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Oglala Lakota College

Kyle, South Dakota
14 Total Awards
$2,684 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Oglala Lakota College the best value school in South Dakota for healthcare students working on their associate degree. This small public school is located in Kyle, South Dakota, and it awarded 14 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Oglala Lakota College are $2,684 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $9,769 in loans while pursuing their degree.

If you are interested in distance education, Oglala Lakota College is an excellent choice, since the school is online.

Read full report on Oglala Lakota College

#2

Dakota State University

Madison, South Dakota
3 Total Awards
$12,735 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Dakota State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. Dakota State is located in Madison, South Dakota and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 associate degrees to qualified students.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Dakota State are $12,735 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $27,139 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

Online courses are available at Dakota State, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 73% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Dakota State also took the #1 spot in our Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota rankings.

Full Dakota State University Report

#3

Lake Area Technical Institute

Watertown, South Dakota
115 Total Awards
$6,718 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s value ranking, Lake Area Technical Institute landed the # 3 spot on the list. Watertown, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 115 students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at LATI are $6,718 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,724 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Some students may be able to take online classes at LATI. In 2019-2020 about 44% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

LATI also made our Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list, coming in at #4.

Full Lake Area Technical Institute Report

#4

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, South Dakota
161 Total Awards
$7,650 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southeast Technical College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. Southeast Technical College is a small public school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that handed out 161 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

Southeast Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $7,650 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,480 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Southeast Tech. In fact, around 45% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Southeast Tech not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list.

Full Southeast Technical College Report

#5

Mitchell Technical College

Mitchell, South Dakota
52 Total Awards
$7,524 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mitchell Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. Located in Mitchell, South Dakota, the small public school awarded 52 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.

Mitchell Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $7,524 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,633 in student loans.

Mitchell Tech does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 27% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Mitchell Tech also took the #5 spot in our Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota rankings.

Read More…

#6

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
16 Total Awards
$12,809 Average Tuition & Fees

South Dakota State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

South Dakota State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,809 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $17,354 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at South Dakota State. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 81% took at least some of their classes online.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, South Dakota State is ranked #3 for overall quality in South Dakota.

Read More…

#7

Western Dakota Technical Institute

Rapid City, South Dakota
79 Total Awards
$8,332 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Dakota Technical Institute came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota ranking. Rapid City, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 79 students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Western Dakota Tech are $8,332 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $20,643 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Western Dakota Tech does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 43% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on Western Dakota Technical Institute

#8

National American University - Rapid City

Rapid City, South Dakota
32 Total Awards
$15,660 Average Tuition & Fees

National American University - Rapid City ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. National American University - Rapid City is a small private for-profit school located in Rapid City, South Dakota that handed out 32 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at National American University - Rapid City are $15,660 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $33,608 in loans while pursuing their degree.

If you are interested in distance education, National American University - Rapid City is an excellent choice, since the school is online.

Read full report on National American University - Rapid City

#9

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, South Dakota
8 Total Awards
$19,900 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, University of Sioux Falls did quite well on this year’s best value schools for healthcare students working on their associate degree. Sioux Falls, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

University of Sioux Falls undergraduate students pay an average of $19,900 in tuition and fees each year.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since University of Sioux Falls does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 51% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

View Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 9 schools only.

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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