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CNA classes in South Dakota

2 CNA (certified nursing assistant) 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 Federal rules require state-approved nurse aide programs for nursing homes to run at least 75 hours, including at least 16 hours of supervised hands-on practice. If a nursing home employs you or has offered you a job when you start, it can't charge you for the program.2

In South Dakota, 1 of the 2 programs takes students without a high school diploma and 1 asks for a diploma or equivalent.

Both are the same kind of program: nursing assistant (CNA).

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

These two programs

Finished the program
70% to 95%
Working 6 months later
Left out
South Dakota's rates sit far below every other state's
Earned a year, estimated
about $18,000 to $18,100
Length
3 to 16 weeks

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?

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

All 2 CNA programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

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2 programs

How to pay for CNA classes in South Dakota

WIOA funding can pay for CNA classes in South Dakota

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

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.78

GI Bill for CNA classes

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

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

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

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in South Dakota

How CNA classes compare with the rest of nursing and patient care: Nursing and patient care programs in South Dakota

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 WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here 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 the prices and results of South Dakota nursing assistant programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

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 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nursing Assistants and Orderlies
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 42 CFR 483.152, Requirements for approval of a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List