2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in South Dakota
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Criminal Justice & Corrections School for You
Criminal Justice & Corrections is the #17 most popular major in South Dakota with 154 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in South Dakota ranking. This report analyzed 7 schools in South Dakota to see which ones offered the best value programs for criminal justice 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.
Best South Dakota Schools for Affordable Quality in Criminal Justice & Corrections
Our 2023 rankings named Lake Area Technical Institute the best value school in South Dakota for criminal justice and corrections students. LATI is a small public school located in the town of Watertown.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LATI are $6,718 per year. On average, criminal justice graduates from LATI take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
LATI also took the #5 spot in our Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in South Dakota rankings.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Lake Area Technical Institute Report
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Out of the 7 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Technical College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Southeast Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Sioux Falls.
Southeast Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $7,650 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Southeast Tech take out is $12,000.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at Southeast Technical College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in South Dakota list. USD is a moderately-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. Criminal Justice majors at USD take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $136.
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Out of the 7 schools in South Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Dakota Technical Institute landed the # 4 spot on the list. Western Dakota Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Rapid City.
Western Dakota Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $8,332 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that criminal justice majors at Western Dakota Tech take out is $12,719.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Sioux Falls did quite well on this year’s best value schools for criminal justice and corrections students. University of 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 University of Sioux Falls are $19,900 a year. On average, criminal justice graduates from University of Sioux Falls take out $26,950 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Criminal Justice & Corrections at University of Sioux Falls Report
Request InformationBest Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value Criminal Justice & Corrections Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 1,273 |
| Minnesota | 1,525 |
| Kansas | 586 |
| Iowa | 627 |
| Nebraska | 608 |
| North Dakota | 225 |
More Criminal Justice & Corrections Rankings in South Dakota
Criminal Justice & Corrections Related Majors for Criminal Justice
One of 4 majors within the area of study, criminal justice and corrections has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Criminal Justice
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fire Protection | 13,766 |
| Homeland Security | 7,140 |
| Security Science and Technology | 6,888 |
| Other Homeland Security | 1,695 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 7 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.