2026 Best Value Animal Science Schools in South Dakota

[Animal Science](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/animal-science/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong animal science education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for animal science students.
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2026 Best Value Animal Science Schools in South Dakota
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in animal science, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Animal Science Schools
For return on investment in animal science, no school beat South Dakota State University this year. Set in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State University is a large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,299, compared with $12,809 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for animal science graduates is $23,162. Animal Science graduates of South Dakota State University earn a median of $44,844 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,162 median debt. The acceptance rate is 98%.
More Animal Science Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.