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LPN programs in South Dakota

7 LPN (licensed practical nurse) programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

4 schools offer these practical nursing programs, and South Dakota has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did. One school runs 3 of these 7 programs, so the typical figures lean heavily on its prices and results.

Licensed practical and vocational nurses (LPNs and LVNs) give basic medical care to patients who are ill, injured or recovering. Most finish a state-approved certificate or diploma program that takes about a year, then pass an exam to become licensed.1 The exam is the NCLEX-PN from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which the nursing boards of every state, DC and four US territories use in deciding who gets a license.2

In South Dakota, all 7 programs ask for a high school diploma or equivalent.

All 7 are the same kind of program: practical nursing (LPN).

See the 7 programs

How much do LPN programs cost in South Dakota?

$11,220 to $13,284 is what most LPN programs in South Dakota cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 7 programs with a price. All of them: $11,220 to $15,002

In the typical program

Finished the program
66%
Working 6 months later
Left out
South Dakota's rates sit far below every other state's
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
4 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Length
44 to 84 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 LPN programs. How these figures are made

Are there free LPN programs in South Dakota?

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

All 7 LPN programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

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7 programs

How to pay for LPN programs in South Dakota

WIOA funding can pay for LPN 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 LPN 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.78

GI Bill for LPN programs

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.

LPN or RN in South Dakota?

The programs South Dakota approved for workforce funding in each, side by side. The figures are the typical program's, as on the two pages.

LPNthis pageRN
Programs7 at 4 schools5 at 5 schools
Most cost, if you pay yourself$11,220 to $13,284$11,065 to $11,726
Length44 to 84 weeksLeft out
Finished the program66%Not enough data
Working 6 months laterLeft outLeft out
Earned a year, estimatedNot enough dataNot enough data
Trained with WIOA fundingat least 4 peopleNot reported

Already working as an LPN? 1 of the 5 RN programs in South Dakota are LPN-to-RN bridge programs, which lead to a two-year degree.

LPN vs RN nationwide: what each job does, the license exams and how to get from one to the other

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024. Earnings are the second quarter after leaving the program, times four.

Quick facts: LPN programs in South Dakota

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
26th of 34
LPN programs here, against the typical state's 13
7 vs 13

State comparisons use the same figures as the LPN programs by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

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

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in South Dakota

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

Where the South Dakota practical nursing program numbers come from

Which South Dakota practical nursing programs are on this list?

These are the practical nursing 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 practical nursing 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 LPN programs in South Dakota

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
  2. National Council of State Boards of Nursing: U.S. Members
  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