Retraining ReportJob training public funding can pay for

Find training

Dental assistant programs in South Dakota

4 dental assistant programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

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

Dental assistants care for patients, take x-rays, keep records and schedule appointments. Many programs take about a year and lead to a certificate or diploma, and some states require you to graduate from an accredited program and pass an exam.1

In South Dakota, all 4 programs ask for a high school diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 4 programs here are dental assistant (2 programs) and dental assistant (associate degree, 2 programs).

See the 4 programs

How much do dental assistant programs cost in South Dakota?

Two-year degrees (2 programs)
$16,138all 2 with a price
Other dental assisting programs (2 programs)
$10,710 to $11,220all 2 with a price

What you pay yourself for the whole program, as the schools report it.

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not enough data
2 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Working 6 months later
Left out
South Dakota's rates sit far below every other state's
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Length
Not enough data
4 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5

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 dental assistant programs. How these figures are made

Are there free dental assistant programs in South Dakota?

All 4 dental assistant programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

Filters
What you need to enroll
Kind of program
School
How it's taught
How to show the list

4 programs

How to pay for dental assistant programs in South Dakota

WIOA funding can pay for dental assistant programs 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 dental assistant programs

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.67

GI Bill for dental assistant programs

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

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

Dental assistant programs in Watertown, Sioux Falls, Rapid City and other South Dakota cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in South Dakota

How dental assistant programs compare with the rest of allied health: Allied health programs in South Dakota

Where the South Dakota dental assisting program numbers come from

Which South Dakota dental assisting programs are on this list?

These are the dental assisting 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).9 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 dental assisting 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 dental assistant programs in South Dakota

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Dental Assistants
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. 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)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. 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