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2026 Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in South Dakota

[Criminal Justice & Police Science](/majors/protective-security-safety-services/criminal-justice-and-corrections/criminal-justice-and-police-science/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong criminal justice & police science education at a price that pays off.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for criminal justice & police science students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in South Dakota

2026 Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools in South Dakota

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in criminal justice & police science, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Criminal Justice & Police Science Schools

1

Lake Area Technical Institute
Watertown, SD

$6,718 In-State Tuition & Fees

$12,000 Avg Student Debt

$45,473 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in criminal justice & police science, no school beat Lake Area Technical Institute this year. Lake Area Technical Institute is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Watertown. Students from in state pay about $6,718 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $12,000 to complete the criminal justice & police science program here. Early-career criminal justice & police science graduates make about $41,230. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.

2

Southeast Technical Institute
Sioux Falls, SD

$7,650 In-State Tuition & Fees

$12,000 Avg Student Debt

$46,709 Median Earnings (10yr)

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Southeast Technical Institute earned it the #2 place for criminal justice & police science. Located in the city of Sioux Falls, Southeast Technical Institute is a mid-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $7,650. Students borrow a median of $12,000 to complete the criminal justice & police science program here. Early-career criminal justice & police science graduates make about $49,560. Set against $12,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.

View All Criminal Justice & Police Science Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 4 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.