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2023 Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota ranking. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in South Dakota to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Top Trade Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Lake Area Technical Institute to be the best school for trade school students who want to pursue a associate degree in South Dakota. LATI is a public institution located in Watertown, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 514 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $6,718 to cover tuition and fees at LATI. The school does not offer an in-state discount. Associate Degree recipients from LATI accumulate an average of $13,775 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since LATI does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 44% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southeast Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. Southeast Tech is a public institution located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 522 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Southeast Tech, expect to pay an average of $7,650 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $16,094 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Southeast Tech, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 43% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Out of the 6 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. South Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 105 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from South Dakota pay an average of $9,299 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend South Dakota State. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $12,809. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,834 in student loans.
South Dakota State 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. During the 2020-2021 year, about 50% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 6 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Mitchell Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Mitchell Tech is located in Mitchell, South Dakota and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 303 associate degrees to qualified students.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $7,524 to cover tuition and fees at Mitchell Tech. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, associate degree students take out $13,352 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Mitchell Tech, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 33% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
The excellent associate degree programs at National American University - Rapid City helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best trade school schools in South Dakota. National American University - Rapid City is a small private for-profit school located in Rapid City, South Dakota that handed out 54 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
National American University - Rapid City does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $16,065. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from National American University - Rapid City accumulate an average of $25,178 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
National American University - Rapid City is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Western Dakota Technical Institute ranked #6 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. This small public school is located in Rapid City, South Dakota, and it awarded 197 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Western Dakota Tech, expect to pay an average of $8,333 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,197 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Western Dakota Tech. In fact, around 47% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Best Trade Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 6 schools only.
References
- 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 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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