Lake Area Technical College
Tuition, net price, admissions, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Watertown, South Dakota
Net price / year
$15,979
after grants & scholarships
higher than 97% of public 2-year colleges
Acceptance rate
Open admission
accepts most applicants
Graduation rate
69%
within 150% of normal time
higher than 99% of public 2-year colleges
Median earnings
$49,488
4 years after graduating
higher than 52% of public 2-year colleges
Lake Area Technical College at a glance
- What is the tuition at Lake Area Technical College?
- Undergraduate tuition and fees are $6,718 for the 2024-25 academic year, the same for in-state and out-of-state students.
- What is the cost of attendance at Lake Area Technical College?
- The average cost of attendance is $19,637 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Lake Area Technical College?
- The average net price for in-state students is $15,979 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at Lake Area Technical College?
- This school has open admission: most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
- What is the graduation rate at Lake Area Technical College?
- 69% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 3 years (entering classes through fall 2021).
- How much do graduates of Lake Area Technical College earn?
- The median graduate earns $49,488 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- 69% of students graduate on time or within 150% of normal time, higher than 99% of public 2-year colleges.
- At $15,979 a year, the average net price is higher than 97% of public 2-year colleges.
- The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 2.6 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
- This school has open admission, so most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
- Families earning under $30,000 pay about $11,193 a year on average, versus $18,230 for families earning over $110,000.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Lake Area Technical College
Average net price (in-state)
$15,979 per year
Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
Estimate your own price with the Lake Area Technical College net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$31,958
Net price × 2 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.
Net price by family income
Average yearly net price for students receiving federal aid.
- $0–30k $11,193
- $30–48k $12,971
- $48–75k $14,129
- $75–110k $18,118
- $110k+ $18,230
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $19,637
- Tuition & fees$6,718
- Books & supplies$1,200
- Room & board$9,000
- Other expenses$3,750
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $6,718
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $6,718
Lake Area Technical College acceptance rate and admissions
Open admission
The school admits most applicants who meet basic requirements.
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Lake Area Technical College
Graduation rate
69%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
82%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Typical monthly payment
$127
On a standard 10-year federal plan.
Years of earnings premium to cover cost
2.6 years
Net cost ÷ (graduate earnings − high-school graduate earnings). Excludes income forgone while studying and assumes today's earnings. A rough guide, not a prediction.
Earnings vs debt
Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.
- Debt-to-earnings
- 0.2×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
- Share of pay going to loans
- 3.1%
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Outcomes by student group
The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.
Earnings ten years after entry
All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.
Typical range: middle half of students
25th percentile $29,962 · median $45,473 · 75th percentile $62,719
Median by family income
Median by sex
This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.
Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).
Median federal student debt, by group
Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.
By Pell Grant status
By first-generation status
By family income
By gender
Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).
Programs and majors at Lake Area Technical College ranked by earnings
| Program | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Earnings over time | Compared with the U.S. median for this field | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician Associate · Graduates: 18 Small sample | $72,225 | 1 yr$75,2534 yrs$72,2255 yrs$65,335 | U.S. median $71,367 U.S. middle half $49.7K–$93K · Above the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians Associate · Graduates: 32 | $69,953 | 1 yr$60,0854 yrs$69,953 | U.S. median $73,046 U.S. middle half $51.7K–$95.2K · Below the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians Associate · Graduates: 165 | $60,763 | 1 yr$47,0804 yrs$60,7635 yrs$54,641 | U.S. median $58,424 U.S. middle half $40.8K–$77.5K · Above the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Computer Science Associate · Graduates: 21 Small sample | $60,752 | — | U.S. median $62,283 U.S. middle half $37.5K–$91.4K · Below the U.S. median | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections Associate · Graduates: 27 Small sample | $52,822 | 1 yr$41,2304 yrs$52,822 | U.S. median $46,706 U.S. middle half $31.5K–$63.7K · Above the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions Associate · Graduates: 21 Small sample | $51,402 | 1 yr$47,5124 yrs$51,402 | U.S. median $57,472 U.S. middle half $43.5K–$72.1K · Below the U.S. median | — |
| Precision Metal Working Associate · Graduates: 56 | $51,201 | 1 yr$43,4364 yrs$51,2015 yrs$52,342 | U.S. median $56,451 U.S. middle half $40.2K–$73.7K · Below the U.S. median | $11,000 |
| Agricultural Business and Management Associate · Graduates: 160 | $48,305 | 1 yr$41,3404 yrs$48,3055 yrs$47,845 | U.S. median $47,825 U.S. middle half $33.2K–$63.3K · Above the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection Associate · Graduates: 25 Small sample | $47,946 | 1 yr$38,6354 yrs$47,946 | U.S. median $59,378 U.S. middle half $41.1K–$85.5K · Below the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services Associate · Graduates: 35 | $47,420 | 1 yr$40,0704 yrs$47,4205 yrs$39,173 | U.S. median $51,913 U.S. middle half $34.8K–$67.1K · Below the U.S. median | $12,000 |
Show all 13 programs
| Marketing Associate · Graduates: 61 | $43,632 | 1 yr$32,0434 yrs$43,6325 yrs$39,495 | U.S. median $44,264 U.S. middle half $27.7K–$61.7K · Below the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Associate · Graduates: 73 | $43,574 | 1 yr$35,9324 yrs$43,5745 yrs$44,181 | U.S. median $42,269 U.S. middle half $28.6K–$56K · Above the U.S. median | $12,000 |
| Associate · Graduates: 47 | $37,135 | 1 yr$26,7304 yrs$37,1355 yrs$31,016 | U.S. median $39,422 U.S. middle half $24.1K–$52.6K · Below the U.S. median | $11,273 |
Earnings are for graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years after completing, in 2024 dollars.
The U.S. median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) are for graduates of the same field and credential level at all colleges, 4 years after completing.
The 1-year, 4-year and 5-year figures come from different graduating cohorts and dollar years (1-year: AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 graduates, 2022 dollars; 4-year: AY2017-18 and AY2018-19 graduates, 2024 dollars; 5-year: AY2014-15 and AY2015-16 graduates, 2022 dollars), so read them as three separate measures, not a single career path.
Small samples are noisy: the Scorecard adds privacy noise to program figures and some rows are based on only a handful of graduates, so rows marked “small sample” can move a lot from year to year.
What students study
The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.
Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field
A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).
Who attends
A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
Race and ethnicity
- White 88%
- Black or African American 1.9%
- Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
- Asian 1%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 2.7%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.4%
- Two or more races 0.1%
- U.S. nonresident 0.1%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 3.1%
Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Gender
- Men 52.8%
- Women 47.2%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
12%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,812
- Part-time students
- 19%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 27%
- Receive federal loans
- 57%
- Students per faculty member
- 16 : 1
- Setting
- Town
Similar colleges
Schools of a similar type, price, size and outcomes.
-
Southeast Technical College
Sioux Falls, SD
Net price $17,400Earnings $53,289
-
Mitchell Technical College
Mitchell, SD
Net price $13,460Earnings $54,865
-
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City, SD
Net price $12,670Earnings $49,930
-
Technical College of the Lowcountry
Beaufort, SC
Net price $14,724Earnings $47,361
-
North Central Missouri College
Trenton, MO
Net price $13,626Earnings $52,845
Where it ranks
This college appears in the top 50 of these TuitionScope rankings.
Guides worth reading
Plain-language explainers that help you read the numbers on this page.
More in South Dakota
Frequently asked questions
How much is tuition at Lake Area Technical College?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Lake Area Technical College reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $6,718, the same for in-state and out-of-state students. This is the published price before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.
What is the cost of attendance and net price at Lake Area Technical College?
The average cost of attendance at Lake Area Technical College is $19,637 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $15,979 a year. That is higher than 97% of public 2-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Lake Area Technical College get?
27% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 57% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $11,193 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $18,230 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Lake Area Technical College?
Lake Area Technical College has open admission: it accepts most applicants who meet basic requirements.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Lake Area Technical College?
69% of first-time, full-time students at Lake Area Technical College finish within 150% of normal time. 82% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do Lake Area Technical College graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $49,488 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $42,193.
Is Lake Area Technical College worth it?
There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Lake Area Technical College, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 2.6 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $12,000, about 0.2 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 69% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time. These are averages, not predictions, and they do not count income forgone while studying.
How much debt do Lake Area Technical College graduates have?
Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $12,000, or about $127 a month on a 10-year plan.
Sources and data periods
All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:
- Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation rate: Fall 2021 or AcadYr 2021-22 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
- Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things