South Dakota · 14 schools · 2025 NCLEX
Nursing Schools in South Dakota: All 19 Approved Programs & NCLEX Pass Rates
Part of Nursing in South Dakota — schools, RN and NP pay, and licensing on one page.
South Dakota has 14 schools running 19 board-approved nursing programs — 13 RN-track and 6 PN/LPN-track. The average 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across South Dakota programs is 90.7%, 4.2 points above the national average of 86.5%. Every row below comes straight from the state board of nursing's published approved-program list — not self-reported school marketing.
- 19
- Approved programs
- 14
- Schools
- 90.7%
- Avg RN pass rate (2025)
- 86.5%
- National RN average
Rank it your way
Rank South Dakota’s 10 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, graduation rate, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota by NCLEX Pass Rate
Top RN programs ranked by 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, among programs with a published 2025 rate. Rates are one year of data — check multi-year trends before deciding.
Pass rate isn’t everything: the NurseSavvy top 10 in South Dakota →- 1100%Mitchell · Associate Degree RN Programs
- 297.4%Sioux Falls · Baccalaureate Degree RN Programs
- 395.6%Sioux Falls · Baccalaureate Degree RN Programs
- 493.9%Mitchell · Baccalaureate Degree RN Programs
- 593.3%Brookings · Baccalaureate Degree RN Programs
- 691.5%Sioux Falls · Associate Degree RN Programs
- 791.2%Rapid City · Associate Degree RN Programs
- 891%Vermillion · Baccalaureate Degree RN Programs
- 985%Watertown · Associate Degree RN Programs
- 1067.9%Yankton · Baccalaureate Degree RN Programs
Every Approved Nursing Program in South Dakota
Sort by any column, filter RN vs PN/LPN, or search a school or city. Want cost, local RN pay, and outcomes in one view? .
19 of 19 programs · “—” = not published for that program · tuition is the school’s published in-state price for one year, before aid; grad pay is the median for that program’s own graduates, one year out
| Augustana University (AU) | Sioux Falls | Baccalaureate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | 95.6% |
| Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU)New/provisional | Mitchell | Associate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | — |
| Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) | Mitchell | Baccalaureate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | 93.9% |
| Lake Area Technical College (LATC) | Watertown | Associate Degree RN ProgramsRN | $6,718 | $66,233 | 85% |
| Lake Area Technical College (LATC) | Watertown | Practical Nurse ProgramsPN | $6,718 | $42,160 | 97.7% |
| Mitchell Technical College (MTC) | Mitchell | Associate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | 100% |
| Mitchell Technical College (MTC) | Mitchell | Practical Nurse ProgramsPN | — | — | 100% |
| Mount Marty University (MMU) | Yankton | Baccalaureate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | 67.9% |
| Northern State University (NSU)New/provisional | Aberdeen | Baccalaureate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | — |
| Oglala Lakota College (OLC) | Pine Ridge | Associate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | — |
| Sinte Gleska University (SGU) | Mission | Practical Nurse ProgramsPN | — | — | — |
| Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC) | Sisseton | Practical Nurse ProgramsPN | — | — | — |
| South Dakota State University (SDSU) | Brookings | Baccalaureate Degree RN ProgramsRN | $9,299 | $71,758 | 93.3% |
| Southeast Technical College (STC) | Sioux Falls | Associate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | 91.5% |
| Southeast Technical College (STC) | Sioux Falls | Practical Nurse ProgramsPN | — | — | 98.1% |
| University of Sioux Falls (USF) | Sioux Falls | Baccalaureate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | 97.4% |
| University of South Dakota (USD) | Vermillion | Baccalaureate Degree RN ProgramsRN | — | — | 91% |
| Western Dakota Technical College (WDTC) | Rapid City | Associate Degree RN ProgramsRN | $8,294 | — | 91.2% |
| Western Dakota Technical College (WDTC) | Rapid City | Practical Nurse ProgramsPN | $8,294 | $43,884 | 85.7% |
Whichever school you choose, the NCLEX is the finish line
The pass rates above are made by students, not buildings. Students who do well start NCLEX-style practice in their first semester — studying for class exams and the boards at the same time. NurseSavvy turns your own course materials into matched NCLEX practice questions from day one — free to try, then $9.99/mo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best nursing school in South Dakota by NCLEX pass rate?
Mitchell Technical College (MTC) in Mitchell had the highest 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate in South Dakota at 100%, among programs with a published 2025 rate on the state board's list.
How many nursing schools are in South Dakota?
South Dakota has 14 schools offering 19 board-approved nursing programs: 13 RN-track (ADN/BSN and similar) and 6 PN/LPN-track programs, per the state board of nursing's current approved-program list.
What is the average NCLEX pass rate in South Dakota?
Across South Dakota RN programs with a published 2025 rate, the average first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is 90.7% — 4.2 points above the national average of 86.5%.
What does a first-time NCLEX pass rate tell me about a school?
It is the share of a program’s graduates who passed the NCLEX on their first attempt — the single most comparable public outcome number nursing programs report. Boards of nursing track it for program approval, and consistently low rates can put a program on conditional status. Compare it alongside cost, location, and program length, not in isolation.
About this data
Program list and 2025 first-time NCLEX pass rates are taken directly from the South Dakota board of nursing's published approved-program materials. “—” means the board did not publish a 2025 rate for that program (new programs, small cohorts, or PN lists without rate tables). Pass rates refresh annually; this page is rebuilt from the board lists when they update.
Tuition, admission rates, graduate earnings and debt come from the U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (Most Recent Cohorts, June 10 2026 data release), matched by school name and city to 3 of 14 South Dakota schools. Schools the federal data does not cover — hospital-based programs and schools outside federal student-aid reporting — show “—” rather than an estimate. Tuition and admission rates describe the whole institution; earnings and debt are specific to its nursing programs, by credential, and lag the current graduating class by several years.
- collegescorecard.ed.gov — Most Recent Cohorts, June 10 2026 data release
Nursing schools in other states
Keep going
- State guideNursing in South DakotaSouth Dakota in one page: 14 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 78,060), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Degree pathwayADN vs BSNBoth degrees lead to the same RN license. Here is how associate and bachelor’s programs actually compare on NCLEX pass rates, graduate debt, and earnings.
- GuideADN vs BSN: Which Nursing Program Should You Choose?Compare ADN and prelicensure BSN pathways by time, total cost, admission, clinical logistics, employer expectations, and bridge options—not prestige alone.
- FinderCheapest RN programs in the U.S.The lowest-cost RN programs nationally, with their NCLEX pass rates alongside.
- FinderCompare nursing schoolsPut any nursing programs side by side on pass rate, cost, and outcomes.
- GuideHow Competitive Is Nursing School Admission?Estimate nursing-school competitiveness using seats, qualified applicants, point rubrics, recent cutoffs, attrition, and the parts of your application you can still change.