2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 6 schools in South Dakota to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for trade school 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.
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Top Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Lake Area Technical Institute the best value school in South Dakota for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Watertown, South Dakota, the small public school awarded 514 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
LATI undergraduate students pay an average of $6,718 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $13,775 in loans while pursuing their degree.
LATI 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 fact, around 44% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
LATI not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southeast Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. Southeast Tech is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 522 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Southeast Tech are $7,650 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,094 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Southeast Tech. During the 2020-2021 year, about 43% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Southeast Tech not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list.
The excellent associate degree programs at Mitchell Technical College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in South Dakota. Located in Mitchell, South Dakota, the small public school awarded 303 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mitchell Tech are $7,524 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,352 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Mitchell Tech. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 33% 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, Mitchell Tech is ranked #4 for overall quality in South Dakota.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota list. South Dakota State is a public institution located in Brookings, South Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 105 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at South Dakota State are $12,809 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $12,834 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that South Dakota State does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 50% took at least some of their classes online.
South Dakota State also took the #3 spot in our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota rankings.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Western Dakota Technical Institute is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. This small public school is located in Rapid City, South Dakota, and it awarded 197 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Western Dakota Tech are $8,333 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $17,197 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Western Dakota Tech. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 47% took at least some of their classes online.
National American University - Rapid City did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, the small private for-profit school awarded 54 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
National American University - Rapid City undergraduate students pay an average of $16,065 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $25,178 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Since National American University - Rapid City is primarily an online school, it is an excellent choice for undergraduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
National American University - Rapid City also made our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list, coming in at #5.
Best Value 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
- 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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