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RN programs in South Dakota

5 RN (registered nurse) 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 The exam is the NCLEX-RN 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, 1 of the 5 programs asks for a high school diploma or equivalent and 4 ask for earlier courses first.

By kind, the 5 programs here are RN associate degree (ADN, 3 programs), LPN to RN bridge (associate degree, 1 program) and RN bachelor's degree (BSN, 1 program).

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
4 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
3 programs report 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 RN programs. How these figures are made

Are there free RN programs in South Dakota?

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

All 5 RN programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

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5 programs

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 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 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.78

GI Bill for RN 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.

LPNRNthis page
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: RN programs in South Dakota

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
12th of 39
RN programs here, against the typical state's 17
5 vs 17

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).

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

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in South Dakota

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

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).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 RN 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 RN programs in South Dakota

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered 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