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Community college · Public

Lake Area Technical College

Watertown, SD470 online only

Lake Area Technical College is a public community college in Watertown, SD, with about 1,709 students on campus.

Visit www.lakeareatech.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
1,709
plus 470 studying only online
Admission rate
Open
open enrollment
Net price a year
$15,979
tuition and fees $6,718; the net price adds housing and food
Graduation rate
73%
higher than at 63% of 2-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$45,473
higher than at 62% of U.S. colleges
In brief

The short version on Lake Area Technical College

The only college for 30 miles

No other degree-granting college with students on campus is within 30 miles of Lake Area Technical College. Nearby ↓

Loan payments are a small share of pay

The typical graduate owes $12,000, about $127 a month over ten years. That’s 3.5% of a typical former student’s monthly pay six years after starting. Outcomes ↓

Long, cold winters

January nights in Watertown average 2°F, with about 41 inches of snow a year. Living in Watertown ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
73%
within 3 years · Pell students 69%
Come back for year two
81%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$45,473
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$12,000
about $127 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

3.5%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$127 a month against about $3,638 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

71%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 88% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$42k
Middle income$30–75k
$47k
Higher incomeover $75k
$50k
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Lake Area Technical College?

Open

anyone with a high school diploma can enroll

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Lake Area Technical College is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $19,637 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees (in state) $6,718Books & supplies $1,200Other costs $11,719

After grants, the average family on aid pays $15,979.

Tuition and fees are $6,718 a year. The net price also counts housing, food and other costs at full price, so a student living at home pays less than it shows.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$14,129

About $28,258 over 2 years · 28% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Health professions 27%Mechanic & repair 20%Agriculture 14%Precision production 10%Business 9%Transportation 5%Everything else 17%

Associate degree programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians133 graduates a year · typical debt $12,000
$61k4 yrs out
Agricultural Business and Management104 graduates a year · typical debt $12,000
$48k4 yrs out
Marketing62 graduates a year · typical debt $12,000
$44k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing46 graduates a year · typical debt $18,707
—not reported
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services40 graduates a year · typical debt $12,000
$44k4 yrs out
Computer Science31 graduates a year
$61k4 yrs out
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians27 graduates a year · typical debt $12,000
$70k4 yrs out
Precision Metal Working27 graduates a year · typical debt $11,000
$51k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

1,812 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 88%Hispanic 3%Black 2%Asian 1%

Women and men

Women 47%Men 53%
16 : 1
students per teacher
27%
get Pell grants (lower income)
57%
take federal loans
12%
undergrads 25 or older
19%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Watertown

5% of Watertown’s 23,736 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Watertown pages.

Watertown →
WatertownWatertown, SD
$942/momedian rent · about the state median$311Ktypical home valueC+Safety Grade2° / 81°January low / July high · 41" of snowBHealth GradeAll colleges in and near WatertownCompare prices, admissions and outcomes

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.