Home > Online Colleges > Military-Friendly > South Dakota
Key takeaway: 14 of the 19 South Dakota-based institutions in our directory that offer at least one fully online program report both credit for military training and a dedicated point of contact for veterans, servicemembers, and their families (IPEDS IC 2024). 9 report all four services the federal survey tracks. The highest-ranked by BOC Score is Mitchell Technical College. The Census Bureau records 5 military installations in South Dakota (1 Air Force, 3 National Guard, 1 Other), and 5 South Dakota cities have their own page below.
Military-friendly online colleges based in South Dakota
Ranked by BOC Score, which weights graduation rate, median earnings, net price, retention, and online availability from federal data. The tags on each card are the school’s own answers on the IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey: credit for military training, a dedicated military contact, DoD MOU membership, and a recognized student veteran organization.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$50,743
Avg net price
$13,460/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,473
Avg net price
$15,979/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,709
Avg net price
$17,400/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,650
Out‑of‑state$7,650
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,217
Avg net price
$23,894/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 58
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$72,257
Avg net price
$20,183/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 31
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,240
Avg net price
$12,670/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,294
Out‑of‑state$8,294
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$55,070
Avg net price
$19,841/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 109
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
99%
Graduation rate
61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,926
Avg net price
$19,858/yr
TuitionIn‑state$9,432
Out‑of‑state$12,942
Key stats
- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 84
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,618
Avg net price
$15,812/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 44
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$50,970
Avg net price
$21,057/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 36
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,674
Avg net price
$15,911/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 43
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,179
Avg net price
$22,227/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 69%
- Programs offered: 31
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$37,325
Avg net price
$31,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 37%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Military installations in South Dakota
The Census Bureau’s 2024 TIGER/Line military layer records 5 installations in South Dakota (1 Air Force, 3 National Guard, 1 Other, branch inferred from the recorded name). The largest by land area are listed; city pages show the ones within 100 miles of each city, with distances.
- Ellsworth AFB
- National Guard West Camp
- Joe Foss Fld
- National Guard Mitchell Training Site
- National Guard Sioux Falls Utes
Common post-service careers in South Dakota
Statewide median wages for occupations that veterans commonly move into after an online degree, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS).
| Occupation |
Median annual wage |
Scope |
| Information Security Analysts |
$116,640 |
SD statewide |
| Logisticians |
$80,020 |
SD statewide |
| Emergency Management Directors |
$67,180 |
SD statewide |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers |
$60,740 |
SD statewide |
| Medical and Health Services Managers |
$122,050 |
SD statewide |
| Project Management Specialists |
$82,250 |
SD statewide |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators |
$75,010 |
SD statewide |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers |
$107,410 |
SD statewide |
BLS publishes wages for metro areas and states, not individual cities; these are statewide medians.
What the four services mean
- Credit for military training (IPEDS VET2): the institution reports that it awards academic credit for military training, typically evaluated through the Joint Services Transcript. How much credit applies is set program by program.
- Dedicated military contact (VET3): a named point of contact for veterans, servicemembers, and their families.
- DoD MOU member (VET5): the institution has signed the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding, a requirement for participating in service education programs.
- Student veteran org (VET4): a recognized student veteran organization on the institution’s records.
Of the 14 schools in South Dakota that meet this page’s two-service definition, 9 report all four. All 14 are fully online by the IPEDS DISTPGS flag, as is every school on the national military-friendly online colleges list; the state view differs only in where the institution is based.
Military-friendly online colleges near South Dakota cities
Benefit eligibility is determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and your service’s education office. Nothing on this page guarantees education benefits, credit transfer, admission, or a particular cost. Confirm every detail with the school’s military or veteran services office before you enroll.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (IC 2024): veteran and military services indicators (VET2 through VET5), distance-education program flag (DISTPGS); BOC Score from College Scorecard and IPEDS outcome data; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 Military Installations layer (installation names as recorded there); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities; Census ACS 5-year estimates. Directory counts as of the September 2026 refresh.
