Best Business Administration Schools Near Rapid City, SD

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Rapid City, South Dakota has 5 accredited schools offering business administration programs, with tuition ranging from $8,294 to $18,845 per year for indexed programs. Rapid City has a population of about 76,836. Median household income is $65,712 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Rapid City, SD metro area, the top-earning business administration-related role is Financial Manager at a median $160,280 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Business Administration Schools to Rapid City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer business administration programs near Rapid City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rapid City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

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:

  • 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. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Rapid City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Western Dakota Technical College

Rapid City, SD 2.0 miles from Rapid City
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
60.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,240
Avg net price $12,670/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,294
Out‑of‑state$8,294
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

National American University-Rapid City

Rapid City, SD 3.4 miles from Rapid City
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
16.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,325
Avg net price $31,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 37%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all South Dakota schools on the South Dakota business administration page.

Business Administration Wages Near Rapid City

Rapid City is part of the Rapid City, SD metro area (BLS area code 39660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Dakota statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager $130,410 Rapid City, SD $146,200
Administrative Services Manager $107,200 Rapid City, SD $120,179
Financial Manager $160,280 Rapid City, SD $179,686
Human Resources Manager $105,990 Rapid City, SD $118,823
Management Analyst $92,710 Rapid City, SD $103,935
Project Management Specialist $74,700 Rapid City, SD $83,744
Accountant or Auditor $79,270 Rapid City, SD $88,868
Training and Development Specialist $64,990 Rapid City, SD $72,859
Office and Administrative Support Supervisor $60,700 Rapid City, SD $68,049

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Rapid City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 76,836 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $65,712 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 36.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 89.2 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Business Administration-related employment in Pennington County 1,718 workers, 452 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited business administration schools are near Rapid City, SD?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering business administration programs near Rapid City. The closest is Western Dakota Technical College in Rapid City, SD (2.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Chadron State College (87.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying business administration roles near Rapid City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying business administration-related roles near Rapid City are: Financial Manager ($160,280), General and Operations Manager ($130,410), Administrative Services Manager ($107,200). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Dakota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Is Rapid City an affordable place to study business administration?

Rapid City’s median household income of $65,712 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rapid City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Dakota public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Business Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Rapid City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Rapid City:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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