There are 7 community colleges (2-4 year colleges) in South Dakota - 4 public and 3 private schools.

The 2024 average tuition & fees of South Dakota community colleges is $5,708 for South Dakota residents and $5,393 for out-of-state students. The average financial aid amounts including grants and/or scholarships is $3,345. A total of 7,226 students enrolled in South Dakota community colleges (1,032 in average).


South Dakota Community Colleges Average Statistics

4 South Dakota community colleges have the open admission policy with some application requirements such as high school diploma and certificate of attendance.

4 schools offer online degree/programs and 339 students enrolled online exclusively.

The average graduation rate is 62.50% and the transfer-out rate is 62.50%. The average students to faculty ratio is 11 to 1 at South Dakota community colleges.

The following table shows the 2024 average academic statistics for South Dakota community colleges.

South Dakota Community Colleges Average Statistics (2023-2024)
Number of Schools7 community colleges (4 public, 3 private)
Open Admission Policy4 out of 7 schools
Tuition & Fees$5,708 South Dakota Residents
$5,393 out-of-state Students
Financial Aid Amounts$3,345
Student PopulationTotal 7,226 (1,032 on average)
Online Student PopulationTotal 1,355 (339 on average) in 4 schools offering online classes)
Graduation Rate62.50%
Transfer-out Rate5.75%
Student to Faculty Ratio10.86 to 1

South Dakota Community Colleges Comparison - Ranking and Key Facts

Southeast Technical College is ranked first among South Dakota community colleges and Lake Area Technical College and Mitchell Technical College are second and third position in the ranking.

The 2024 average tuition & fees of the schools are $5,708 for South Dakota residents and $5,393 for out-of-state students. The following table compares the South Dakota community colleges with key statistics by ranking.

2024 Tuition & Academic Comparison Between Community Colleges in South Dakota
SD RankNameTuition & FeesFinancial AidStudent PopulationGraduation RateStudent to Faculty Ratio
1Southeast Technical CollegeSioux Falls, SD$7,650 $3,161 2,453 58% 11 to 1
2Lake Area Technical CollegeWatertown, SD$6,718 $4,418 2,238 70% 17 to 1
3Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell, SD$7,524 $6,357 1,203 70% 13 to 1
4Western Dakota Technical CollegeRapid City, SD$8,008 $5,504 1,267 52% 9 to 1
-Avera McKennan Hospital School of Radiologic TechnologySioux Falls, SD$2,600 ($2,550) $1,250 23 - 12 to 1
-Avera Sacred Heart HospitalYankton, SD$2,500 ($1,800) $1,890 15 - 10 to 1
-Sanford Medical CenterSioux Falls, SD$2,750 $833 27 - 4 to 1
Average$5,393 ($5,708) $3,3457,226 62.50% 10.86 to 1