Lake Area Technical College
Watertown, South Dakota · Also known as LATC/Lake Area Tech · Website
$45,473
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$45,473
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Lake Area Technical College is a public 2-year college in Watertown, South Dakota with 1,812 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $15,979 a year (tuition and fees $6,718). 73% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $45,473 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $12,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$15,979
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$6,718
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
73%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$12,000
About $127 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$45,473
Rank 1,935 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $15,979
- Tuition and fees
- $6,718
- Cost of attendance
- $19,637
- Students with a need-based grant
- 27%
- Students with federal loans
- 57%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $11,193
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,971
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $14,129
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $18,118
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $18,230
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $5,056 in 2015-16 to $6,718 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 1,812
- Part-time students
- 19%
- Women
- 47%
- Students per teacher
- 16
- Completion rate
- 73%
- Retention rate
- 81%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 37
- Endowment
- $12.6M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,935 of 5,094 US colleges and 13 of 21 in South Dakota (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | SD median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $15,979 | $18,146 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $6,718 | $8,845 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 85% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 73% | 54% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 81% | 78% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $12,000 | $23,250 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $43,659 | $43,427 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $45,473 | $46,709 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 71% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 76% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
37 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 133 | $12,000 | $47,080 | $60,763 | $58,424 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementAssociate's | Associate's | 104 | $12,000 | $41,340 | $48,305 | $47,825 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 90 | $9,500 | $42,160 | $56,633 | $56,073 |
| MarketingAssociate's | Associate's | 62 | $12,000 | $32,043 | $43,632 | $44,264 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 48 | Withheld | Withheld | $49,693 | $48,702 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 46 | $18,707 | $66,233 | Withheld | $80,813 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 40 | $12,000 | $35,932 | $43,574 | $42,269 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 35 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceAssociate's | Associate's | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | $60,752 | $62,283 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 28 | $12,000 | $20,420 | $35,222 | $26,307 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 27 | $12,000 | $60,085 | $69,953 | $73,046 |
| Precision Metal WorkingAssociate's | Associate's | 27 | $11,000 | $43,436 | $51,201 | $56,451 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 27 | $12,000 | $40,070 | $47,420 | $51,913 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,334 | $51,586 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianAssociate's | Associate's | 23 | $12,000 | $75,253 | $72,225 | $71,367 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $67,792 |
| Human Services, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | $11,273 | $26,730 | $37,135 | $39,422 |
| Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and InspectionAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | $12,000 | $38,635 | $47,946 | $59,378 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 20 | $5,500 | $36,631 | $38,313 | $33,673 |
| Human Services, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | $34,188 | $36,390 |
| Ground TransportationCertificate | Certificate | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,118 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 14 | $12,000 | $41,230 | $52,822 | $46,706 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,982 |
| Air TransportationAssociate's | Associate's | 8 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Watertown and South Dakota on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in South Dakota
- Homes: Homes for sale in South Dakota
Questions and answers
How much does Lake Area Technical College cost?
$15,979 a year is the average net price at Lake Area Technical College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $6,718, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $19,637. Families earning under $30,000 pay $11,193 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Lake Area Technical College?
Lake Area Technical College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Lake Area Technical College graduates earn?
$45,473 a year is the median pay of former Lake Area Technical College students who work, 10 years after they started ($43,659 after 6 years). That ranks 1,935 of 5,094 US colleges and 13 of 21 in South Dakota. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Construction Engineering Technology/Technician (Associate's) at $75,253.
How much student debt do Lake Area Technical College graduates have?
$12,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Lake Area Technical College graduates, about $127 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 57% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Lake Area Technical College?
73% of first-time, full-time students at Lake Area Technical College finish within 3 years. 81% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Lake Area Technical College?
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (133 associate's graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (104 associate's graduates), Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (90 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 37 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.