Medical assistant training in South Dakota

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

4 schools offer these medical 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.

Medical assistants do office and clinical work, from scheduling appointments to taking patients' vital signs. Most train in a certificate program. Certification isn't required in most states, but employers often prefer it.¹ In South Dakota, every program asks for a diploma or other schooling first, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 4 programs

How much does a medical assistant program cost in South Dakota?

$10,455 to $16,574

is what the 4 programs with a price cost 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 medical assistant training. How these figures are made

Is there free medical assistant training 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 $10,455 to $16,574.

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

Medical assistant training in Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Watertown and other South Dakota cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 4 medical assistant programs in South Dakota approved for funding

4 programs

Medical assistantIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Medical Assistant | Diploma | In-Person | PT & FT
Southeast Technical College, Sioux Falls
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeast Technical College, Sioux Falls · Medical assistant · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$52,000
Price if you pay yourself$10,455
Program website, Medical Assistant | Diploma | In-Person | PT & FT at Southeast Technical College
More details about Medical Assistant | Diploma | In-Person | PT & FT at Southeast Technical College
Finished
52%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$12,996
Length
48 weeks, 22 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,660
Students counted
87
a year, estimated
$52,000
price
$10,455
Medical assistant (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Medical Assistant | AAS | Campus
Mitchell Technical College, Mitchell
High school diploma or equivalent
Mitchell Technical College, Mitchell · Medical assistant (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$16,574
Program website, Medical Assistant | AAS | Campus at Mitchell Technical College
More details about Medical Assistant | AAS | Campus at Mitchell Technical College
Finished
42%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
68 weeks, 21 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,995
Students counted
80
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$16,574
Medical assistant (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Medical Assisting | AAS | Campus
Lake Area Technical College, Watertown
High school diploma or equivalent
Lake Area Technical College, Watertown · Medical assistant (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$15,527
Program website, Medical Assisting | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
More details about Medical Assisting | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
Finished
59%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
76 weeks, 20 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,445
Students counted
51
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$15,527
Medical assistantHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Medical Assisting | Diploma | Hybrid (39 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City · Medical assistant · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$11,154
Program website, Medical Assisting | Diploma | Hybrid (39 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
More details about Medical Assisting | Diploma | Hybrid (39 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
Finished
35%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
48 weeks, 19 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$4,964
Students counted
44
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$11,154

How to pay for medical assistant training in South Dakota

Workforce funding can pay for medical assistant training 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 medical assistant training

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 medical assistant training

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 medical assistant program numbers come from

Which South Dakota medical assistant programs are on this list?

These are the medical 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 medical 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 medical 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 medical assistant training in South Dakota

Show the 7 sourcesHide the sources