Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in South Dakota
10
Meet the Ranking Threshold
5
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$9,366
With a Fully Online Option
3
General Studies Associate Degrees in South Dakota
General studies associate degrees in South Dakota are a university product: all five ranked programs are at Board of Regents universities that also award a general studies bachelor's. South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, Northern State University, Dakota State University and Black Hills State University make up the ranked five. Five others sit below the threshold: the School of Mines, Sinte Gleska University, Sisseton Wahpeton College, Dakota Wesleyan University and the University of Sioux Falls.
South Dakota State has the top score at 60.4 because it combines the two things the ranking rewards: 62% of its students graduate, and it awards 55 degrees a year, at $9,299 in resident tuition and required fees. The University of South Dakota matches it closely on completion at 60% but awards 22 degrees a year at $9,432, which puts it at 53.5. Below those two the scores track the graduation rate: Northern State at 49% (47), Dakota State at 51% (45.1) and Black Hills State at 43% (43.9).
Price separates the five less than completion does. Northern State charges $8,845 and Black Hills State $8,916, South Dakota State $9,299, the University of South Dakota $9,432 and Dakota State $9,633, while graduation rates run from 43% at Black Hills State to 62% at South Dakota State. Among the five others, Sisseton Wahpeton College lists $4,330 and Sinte Gleska University $4,714, and the School of Mines graduates 53% at $10,400 on 3 degrees a year.
The 5 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in South Dakota
The best general studies associate degrees in South Dakota are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in South Dakota. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
South Dakota State University
South Dakota
60.4- Public
- College graduation rate
- 62%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,299 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 55
About the Program
Brookings, South Dakota is home to South Dakota State University, a public university of 12,056 students. It conferred 55 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 41% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Across the whole college, 62% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 97% of the institutions behind this list. Expect tuition and fees of $9,299 a year as a resident and $12,809 otherwise. Getting in is rarely the obstacle, with 98% of applicants admitted. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 97th percentile.
2
University of South Dakota
South Dakota
53.5- Public
- College graduation rate
- 60%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,432 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 22
About the Program
Some 10,619 students attend University of South Dakota, a public university in Vermillion, South Dakota. The program's last federal report shows 22 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 18 in every 100 programs measured here. A 60% graduation rate puts the college at the 95th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees are $9,432 a year for residents and $12,942 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 20% of programs at this level. Admission is close to open, with 99% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 95th percentile.
3
Northern State University
South Dakota
47.0- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 49%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $8,845 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 14
About the Program
Aberdeen, South Dakota is home to Northern State University, a public university of 3,708 students. It conferred 14 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 9% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Of the students who start at Northern State University, 49% graduate, and that beats 83 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Residents pay $8,845 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $11,947. Distance students can complete the whole degree online, so where you live matters less here. About 93% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 83rd percentile.
4
Dakota State University
South Dakota
45.1- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 51%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,633 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 10
About the Program
Some 3,774 students attend Dakota State University, a public university in Madison, South Dakota. During the most recent year on record it awarded 10 associate's degrees, a count at the 2nd percentile for size. Across the whole college, 51% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 86% of the institutions behind this list. Residents pay $9,633 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $12,735. Distance students can complete the whole degree online, so where you live matters less here. About 88% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 86th percentile.
5
Black Hills State University
South Dakota
43.9- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 43%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $8,916 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 19
About the Program
Spearfish, South Dakota is home to Black Hills State University, a public university of 3,346 students. It conferred 19 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 15% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Of the students who start at Black Hills State University, 43% graduate, and that beats 74 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Expect tuition and fees of $8,916 a year as a resident and $12,018 otherwise. Distance students can complete the whole degree online, so where you live matters less here. Getting in is rarely the obstacle, with 96% of applicants admitted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 74th percentile.
Other General Studies Associate Degrees in South Dakota
The other general studies associate degrees in South Dakota awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinte Gleska University, Mission | 6 | 15% | $4,714 |
| South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City | 3 | 53% | $10,400 |
| Sisseton Wahpeton College, Sisseton | 3 | 21% | $4,330 |
| Dakota Wesleyan University, Mitchell | 2 | 48% | $32,890 |
| University of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls | 2 | 63% | $20,740 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in South Dakota?
A general studies associate degree in South Dakota costs $9,366 a year in resident tuition and required fees at the median of the ten programs, and the range runs from $4,330 at Sisseton Wahpeton College to $32,890 at Dakota Wesleyan University. The five ranked programs sit inside a $788 band: Northern State at $8,845, Black Hills State at $8,916, South Dakota State at $9,299, the University of South Dakota at $9,432 and Dakota State at $9,633, all 2023-24 rates. Sisseton Wahpeton and Sinte Gleska University ($4,714) are far cheaper, the University of Sioux Falls ($20,740) and Dakota Wesleyan far dearer.
Residency moves the price less here than in most states. Nonresidents pay $11,947 at Northern State, $12,018 at Black Hills State, $12,735 at Dakota State, $12,809 at South Dakota State and $12,942 at the University of South Dakota, roughly $3,100 to $3,500 above the resident rate. The other saving is structural: because the six Regental universities run a common course catalog and common transcript, a general education course taken at the $8,845 campus is the same course at the $9,633 one, so you can start where tuition is lowest and move without repeating anything.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in South Dakota?
A general studies associate degree will transfer in South Dakota with its general education intact at any of the six Regental universities, because the 30-credit core completed at one counts at all of them. Board Policy 2.3.7 sets the core: 30 credits of course work, with at least three credit hours from each of six goals, and from the summer 2025 catalog it incorporates civics proficiency for all new and transfer students. Policy 2.2.2.2 says students who complete the System General Education Requirements at any Regental institution have fulfilled them for their degree program, and coursework keeps counting toward its goal areas even if the receiving university's approved course lists differ.
If your associate is from outside the system, the test is the same six goals. Policy 2.2.2.3 says a student who completed general education consistent with the six goals and credit hour requirements of Policy 2.3.7 at an accredited college enters the Regental system with general education fulfilled, and so does one who completed the WICHE Interstate Passport or another approved general education agreement. Ask the registrar to map your courses to the goals.
Reverse transfer depends on an agreement rather than a rule. Regental universities may set up Board-approved reverse transfer agreements so that credits earned at the university complete a degree awarded by the sending institution, so ask whether one exists.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in South Dakota?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in South Dakota pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in South Dakota
How to choose a general studies associate degree program in South Dakota is really a choice of where you'll finish the bachelor's, because four of the five ranked universities award both degrees and general education completed at any Regental university is fulfilled at every other. South Dakota State (62%) and the University of South Dakota (60%) complete at a higher rate than Northern State (49%), Dakota State (51%) and Black Hills State (43%), and the three lower-completion programs are the three you can take fully online. Two of them cost less, Northern State at $8,845 and Black Hills State at $8,916 against $9,299 and $9,432 at the campus pair, and one costs more, Dakota State at $9,633.
Ask the university whether the associate rolls into its own general studies bachelor's without reapplying, and how many of the associate's credits count toward the bachelor's major rather than as electives. Ask the online programs how their general studies students complete compared with the campus figure, since the published rate is for the college as a whole. And if you're bringing credits from outside the Regental system, ask the registrar which of them map to the six general education goals.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in South Dakota have their own page.
Common Questions About General Studies Associate Degrees in South Dakota
How Much Does Northern State University Charge for Its General Studies Associate Degree?
How Do Graduation Rates Compare Across South Dakota's General Studies Associate Degrees?
Are the Online General Studies Associate Degrees in South Dakota Cheaper Than the Campus Ones?
Can You Continue From a General Studies Associate to a Bachelor's at the Same University in South Dakota?
Does South Dakota Have Reverse Transfer for a General Studies Associate Degree?
Where Do the Figures on This South Dakota Page Come From?
- BOR Policy 2.3.7 Undergraduate General Education Requirements
- BOR Policy 2.2.2.2 South Dakota Regental System Transfer of Credit
- BOR Policy 2.2.2.3 External (Non-Regental System) Accredited University/College Transfer of Credit
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates