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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.
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 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 want to attend LATI, expect to pay an average of $6,718 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced 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. Of those students who received their degree, 37% were women.
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. During the 2020-2021 year, about 44% 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, Southeast Technical College landed the # 2 spot on the list. This small public school is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and it awarded 522 associate degrees 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.
Southeast 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 fact, around 43% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Mitchell Technical College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree. This small public school is located in Mitchell, South Dakota, and it awarded 303 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Mitchell Tech does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $7,524. This amount may 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.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Mitchell Tech. In 2020-2021 about 33% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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 small public school situated in Rapid City, South Dakota. 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. 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.
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. During the 2020-2021 year, about 47% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National American University - Rapid City. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, the small private for-profit school awarded 54 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend National American University - Rapid City, expect to pay an average of $16,065 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $25,178 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 76% of those degree recipients were women.
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.
South Dakota State University 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 #6 on the list. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 105 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at South Dakota State is $9,299. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $12,809. Associate Degree recipients from South Dakota State accumulate an average of $12,834 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 52% of those degree recipients were women.
South Dakota State does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 50% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
University of Sioux Falls 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 #7 on the list. University of Sioux Falls is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 8 associate degrees to qualified students.
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.
Online courses are available at University of Sioux Falls, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 53% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
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. Located in Kyle, South Dakota, the small public school handed out 103 associate degree awards 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. Of those students who received their degree, 76% were women.
Since Oglala Lakota College 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.
Dakota State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree trade school programs. This small public school is located in Madison, South Dakota, and it awarded 56 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from South Dakota who attend Dakota State full time pay an average of $9,633 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $12,735. Associate Degree recipients from Dakota State accumulate an average of $19,695 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 30% of those degree recipients were women.
Dakota State does offer online classes for certain degree levels. 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 landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree trade school programs. Located in Sisseton, South Dakota, the very small public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students 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. Around 75% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Sisseton Wahpeton College does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 11% took at least some of their classes online.
Presentation 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 #11 on the list. Located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, the very small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Presentation College is $22,765. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Around 21% of those degree recipients were women.
Online courses are available at Presentation College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 69% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Black Hills State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota ranking. Located in Spearfish, South Dakota, the small public school awarded 44 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at BHSU is $8,916. Out-of-state students pay an average of $12,018. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,213 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 70% were women.
BHSU 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 65% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #12, National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. This very small private for-profit school is located in Box Elder, South Dakota, and it awarded 2 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $6,675 to cover tuition and fees at National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, associate degree students take out $24,370 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 50% were women.
National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 77% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on National American University - Ellsworth AFB Extension
Sinte Gleska University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Dakota list. Sinte Gleska University is a very small public school situated in Mission, South Dakota. It awarded 40 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Sinte Gleska University, expect to pay an average of $4,714 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Around 83% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Sinte Gleska University does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 66% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
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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