2023 Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. 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 Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota ranking. Our analysis looked at 14 schools in South Dakota to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Trade Associate Degree Schools in South Dakota
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Lake Area Technical Institute to be the most popular school for trade school students who want to pursue a associate degree in South Dakota. LATI is located in Watertown, South Dakota and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 514 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees at LATI is $6,718. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from LATI accumulate an average of $13,775 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 37% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since LATI does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 44% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Southeast Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the small public school handed out 522 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $7,650 to cover tuition and fees at Southeast Tech. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,094 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 51% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Southeast Tech does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 43% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 14 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Mitchell Technical College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in Mitchell, South Dakota, the small public school handed out 303 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Mitchell Tech, expect to pay an average of $7,524 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from Mitchell Tech accumulate an average of $13,352 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 35% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Mitchell Tech does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 33% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Western Dakota Technical Institute. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. Western Dakota Tech is a public institution located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 197 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Western Dakota Tech is $8,333. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from Western Dakota Tech accumulate an average of $17,197 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Western Dakota Tech does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 47% took at least some of their classes online.
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 most popular trade school schools in South Dakota. This small private for-profit school is located in Rapid City, South Dakota, and it awarded 54 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $16,065 to cover tuition and fees at National American University - Rapid City. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,178 in student loans. Around 76% of those degree recipients were women.
National American University - Rapid City is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
With a ranking of #6, South Dakota State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. This fairly large public school is located in Brookings, South Dakota, and it awarded 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. On average, associate degree students take out $12,834 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 52% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since South Dakota State does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 50% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
University of Sioux Falls landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree trade school programs. University of Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It awarded 8 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
University of Sioux Falls does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $20,290. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
University of Sioux Falls does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 53% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Oglala Lakota College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Oglala Lakota College is a public institution located in Kyle, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 103 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $2,684 to cover tuition and fees at Oglala Lakota College. The school does not offer an in-state discount. Around 76% of those degree recipients were women.
Oglala Lakota College is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
With a ranking of #9, Dakota State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Madison, South Dakota, the small public school awarded 56 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $9,633 in tuition and fees if they attend Dakota State full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $12,735. On average, associate degree students take out $19,695 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 30% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Dakota State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 72% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Sisseton Wahpeton College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota ranking. Sisseton Wahpeton College is a public institution located in Sisseton, South Dakota. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 12 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Sisseton Wahpeton College is $4,330. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Of those students who received their degree, 75% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Sisseton Wahpeton College. In fact, around 11% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Presentation College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. Presentation College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 14 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Presentation College, expect to pay an average of $22,765 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Of those students who received their degree, 21% were women.
Presentation College 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 69% took at least some of their classes online.
Black Hills State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. Located in Spearfish, South Dakota, the small public school handed out 44 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Students from South Dakota who attend BHSU full time pay an average of $8,916 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $12,018. Associate Degree recipients from BHSU accumulate an average of $15,213 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 70% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at BHSU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 65% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. Box Elder, South Dakota is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension, expect to pay an average of $6,675 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 $24,370 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 77% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Full National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension Report
With a ranking of #12, Sinte Gleska University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Sinte Gleska University is located in Mission, South Dakota and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 40 associate degrees to qualified students.
Sinte Gleska University does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $4,714. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
Online courses are available at Sinte Gleska University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 66% took at least some of their classes online.
Most Popular Trade School Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 14 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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