CNA classes in South Dakota

2 CNA programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

2 schools offer these nursing assistant programs, and South Dakota has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Nursing assistants give basic care and help patients with everyday tasks. To work as one, you usually finish a state-approved program and pass your state's competency exam, which puts you on the state registry.¹ In South Dakota, 1 of the 2 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 2 programs

How much do CNA classes cost in South Dakota?

$765 to $910

from the lowest-priced program to the highest, if you pay yourself

Finished the program: Not reported
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: Not reported
Length: Not reported for most programs

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in South Dakota may also offer CNA classes. How these figures are made

Are there free CNA classes in South Dakota?

Yes, if you qualify. Workforce funding can pay for any program on this page.²³
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁴
Or pay yourself. These programs cost $765 to $910.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

CNA classes in Yankton, Sioux Falls and other South Dakota cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 2 CNA programs in South Dakota approved for funding

2 programs

Nursing assistant (CNA)HybridNo diploma needed
Certified Nursing Assistant Program
Avera Education & Staffing Solutions, Yankton
No diploma needed
Avera Education & Staffing Solutions, Yankton · Nursing assistant (CNA) · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$18,100
Price if you pay yourself$910
Program website, Certified Nursing Assistant Program at Avera Education & Staffing Solutions
More details about Certified Nursing Assistant Program at Avera Education & Staffing Solutions
Finished
95%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$4,530
Length
3 weeks, 25 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$70
Students counted
318
a year, estimated
$18,100
price
$910
Nursing assistant (CNA)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Certified Nursing Assistant Course | In-person
Southeast Technical College, Sioux Falls
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeast Technical College, Sioux Falls · Nursing assistant (CNA) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$18,000
Price if you pay yourself$765
School website, Certified Nursing Assistant Course | In-person at Southeast Technical College
More details about Certified Nursing Assistant Course | In-person at Southeast Technical College
Finished
70%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$4,510
Length
16 weeks, 24 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$51
Students counted
183
a year, estimated
$18,000
price
$765

How to pay for CNA classes in South Dakota

Workforce funding can pay for CNA classes in South Dakota

Every program on this page is approved for public workforce funding, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁴

Financial aid and grants for CNA classes

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁵⁶

GI Bill for CNA classes

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁷

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Where the South Dakota nursing assistant program numbers come from

Which South Dakota nursing assistant programs are on this list?

These are the nursing assistant programs South Dakota approved for public workforce funding (the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). The list covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what South Dakota offers.

How South Dakota nursing assistant program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some nursing assistant programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

How reliable are the South Dakota figures?

We leave out the share working 6 months later for South Dakota: its rates sit far below every other state's.

Sources for the facts about CNA classes in South Dakota

Show the 7 sourcesHide the sources