NurseSavvy ranking · South Dakota · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in South Dakota (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 10 RN programs in South Dakota that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in South Dakota, and what graduates earn a year out.
University of Sioux Falls (USF) comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank South Dakota’s 10 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in South Dakota
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 169score
University of Sioux Falls (USF)
Sioux FallsBaccalaureate Degree RN Programs
A 97.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.4%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 268score
Mitchell Technical College (MTC)
MitchellAssociate Degree RN Programs
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 368score
South Dakota State University (SDSU)
BrookingsBaccalaureate Degree RN Programs· Public
A 93.3% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 93.3%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $19,841/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,758 1 yr out
- 467score
Augustana University (AU)
Sioux FallsBaccalaureate Degree RN Programs
A 95.6% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.6%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 565score
Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU)
MitchellBaccalaureate Degree RN Programs
A 93.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 93.9%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 662score
University of South Dakota (USD)
VermillionBaccalaureate Degree RN Programs
A 91% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 91%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 759score
Southeast Technical College (STC)
Sioux FallsAssociate Degree RN Programs
A 91.5% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 91.5%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 856score
Western Dakota Technical College (WDTC)
Rapid CityAssociate Degree RN Programs· Public
A 91.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 91.2%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $12,670/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
- 951score
Lake Area Technical College (LATC)
WatertownAssociate Degree RN Programs· Public
A 85% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 85%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $15,979/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $66,233 1 yr out
- 1039score
Mount Marty University (MMU)
YanktonBaccalaureate Degree RN Programs
A 67.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 67.9%
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- Not publishedfill-in
- Early-career earnings
- Not publishedfill-in
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The South Dakota leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Mitchell Technical College (MTC) (Associate Degree RN Programs), 100% first-time.
- Lowest average net price: Western Dakota Technical College (WDTC), $12,670/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: South Dakota State University (SDSU), $71,758 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Mitchell Technical College (MTC) (#2 overall) and University of Sioux Falls (USF) (#1 overall).
No South Dakota RN program in our data has published its own completion rate yet, so every program here scores the completion fill-in.
How we ranked South Dakota’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the South Dakota board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to South Dakota’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in South Dakota?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, University of Sioux Falls (USF) (Baccalaureate Degree RN Programs, Sioux Falls) ranks #1 of 10 RN programs in South Dakota with a score of 69 out of 100 and a 97.4% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank South Dakota nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the South Dakota board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- 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.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in South DakotaNurse practitioners in South Dakota earn a median of 128,840 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in South DakotaRegistered nurses in South Dakota earn a median of 78,060 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.