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Best Value Education Schools in South Dakota

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2023 Best Value Education Schools in South Dakota

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

6 Colleges
$15,384 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$45,917 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Education School for You

In 2020-2021, education students earned 1,045 degrees and certificates from a South Dakota school, making the subject the 3rd in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Education Schools in South Dakota ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in South Dakota to see which programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

2023 Best Value Education Schools in South Dakota

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for education majors pursuing a .

Best South Dakota Schools for Affordable Quality in Education

Our 2023 rankings named Northern State University the best value school in South Dakota for education students. NSU is a small public school located in the town of Aberdeen.

NSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,845 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, education majors at NSU accumulate an average of around $26,993 in student debt.

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

Read full report on Education at Northern State University

#2

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in South Dakota list. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.

USD undergraduate students pay an average of $9,432 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, education graduates from USD carry an average student debtload of $28,185. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $269.

Read full report on Education at University of South Dakota

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means South Dakota State University is a great value for education students. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Dakota State are $9,299 a year. On average, education graduates from South Dakota State take out $26,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

South Dakota State also took the #2 spot in our Best Education Schools in South Dakota rankings.

Read full report on Education at South Dakota State University

#4

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD
$19,900 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Sioux Falls. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in South Dakota list. University of Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Sioux Falls.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at University of Sioux Falls are $19,900 a year. On average, education graduates from University of Sioux Falls take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Education at University of Sioux Falls

The excellent programs at Black Hills State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in South Dakota. BHSU is a small public school located in the distant town of Spearfish.

BHSU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,916 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Education majors at BHSU take out an average of $30,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Education at Black Hills State University Report

#6

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD
$35,914 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Augustana University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Augustana Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Sioux Falls.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Augustana Sioux Falls are $35,914 a year. After completing their degree, education graduates from Augustana Sioux Falls carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Augustana Sioux Falls not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Education Schools in South Dakota list.

Full Education at Augustana University Report

Best Value Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Education Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 4,776
Minnesota 9,682
Iowa 3,392
Missouri 7,906
Nebraska 4,167
North Dakota 1,291

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
General Education 29,810
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832
Student Counseling 13,858
Instructional Media Design 8,695
Teaching English or French 5,791
Other Education 4,858
Teaching Assistants 2,751
Educational Assessment 2,552
Multilingual Education 1,910
Education Philosophy 737
International Education 293

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 205,984
Psychology 195,678
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 6 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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