RN programs in South Dakota

5 RN programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

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

Registered nurses provide and coordinate patient care and teach patients and their families about health conditions. To work as one, you graduate from an approved nursing program (a bachelor's or associate degree in nursing, or a hospital diploma) and pass a licensing exam for your state nursing license.¹ In South Dakota, every program asks for a diploma or other schooling first, and 4 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 5 programs

How much do RN programs cost in South Dakota?

Two-year degrees (4 programs): $9,945 to $11,726all 4 with a price
Bachelor's degrees (1 program): $37,600the one 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
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: Not enough data
Length: Not enough data

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 RN programs. How these figures are made

Are there free RN programs in South Dakota?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴For a degree, the job center first looks at grants such as a federal Pell Grant; WIOA pays toward what they don't cover.⁴
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Two-year degrees here cost $9,945 to $11,726.Bachelor's degrees here cost $37,600.

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

RN programs in Mitchell, Sioux Falls, Watertown and other South Dakota cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 5 RN programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

5 programs

RN associate degree (ADN)HybridEducation and courses
Registered Nurse | AAS | Hybrid
Southeast Technical College
Sioux Falls
Education and courses
Southeast Technical College, Sioux Falls · RN associate degree (ADN) · Hybrid · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimated$41,700
Price if you pay yourself$9,945
Program website, Registered Nurse | AAS | Hybrid at Southeast Technical College
More details about Registered Nurse | AAS | Hybrid at Southeast Technical College
Finished
76%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$10,420
Length
48 weeks, 21 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$3,180
Students counted
439
a year, estimated
$41,700
price
$9,945
RN associate degree (ADN)In personEducation and courses
Registered Nurse | AAS | Campus
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown
Education and courses
Lake Area Technical College, Watertown · RN associate degree (ADN) · In person · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimated$55,000
Price if you pay yourself$11,065
Program website, Registered Nurse | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
More details about Registered Nurse | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
Finished
93%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$13,753
Length
42 weeks, 22 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,045
Students counted
119
a year, estimated
$55,000
price
$11,065
RN associate degree (ADN)HybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Registered Nurse | AAS | Hybrid (41 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City · RN associate degree (ADN) · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$73,900
Price if you pay yourself$11,726
Program website, Registered Nurse | AAS | Hybrid (41 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
More details about Registered Nurse | AAS | Hybrid (41 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
Finished
86%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$18,468
Length
48 weeks, 15 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$6,480
Students counted
96
a year, estimated
$73,900
price
$11,726
LPN to RN bridge (associate degree)HybridEducation and courses
Registered Nursing (LPN to RN) | Associate Degree | Hybrid
Mitchell Technical College
Mitchell
Education and courses
Mitchell Technical College, Mitchell · LPN to RN bridge (associate degree) · Hybrid · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$11,533
Program website, Registered Nursing (LPN to RN) | Associate Degree | Hybrid at Mitchell Technical College
More details about Registered Nursing (LPN to RN) | Associate Degree | Hybrid at Mitchell Technical College
Finished
91%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
44 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$361
Students counted
51
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$11,533
RN bachelor's degree (BSN)HybridEducation and courses
LPN to BSN | BS | Hy-Brid
Dakota Wesleyan University
Mitchell
Education and courses
Dakota Wesleyan University, Mitchell · RN bachelor's degree (BSN) · Hybrid · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$37,600
School website, LPN to BSN | BS | Hy-Brid at Dakota Wesleyan University
More details about LPN to BSN | BS | Hy-Brid at Dakota Wesleyan University
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$3,900
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$37,600

How to pay for RN programs in South Dakota

WIOA funding can pay for RN programs in South Dakota

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under 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.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

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).⁵

Financial aid and grants for RN 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 RN 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.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Quick facts: RN programs in South Dakota

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 10th of 37
RN programs here, against the typical state's 13: 5 vs 13

State comparisons use the same figures as the RN 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).

Where the South Dakota RN program numbers come from

Which South Dakota RN programs are on this list?

These are the RN 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 South Dakota RN program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. "Trained with WIOA funding" on a program counts the people whose training there WIOA paid toward through a training account in program year 2024; the file never gives counts under 3, so a program without the line may still take WIOA students. It does not say how much of the price WIOA covered. 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 RN 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 RN programs in South Dakota

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources