Public · Community college

Mid-State Technical College

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin · Distant town

3%
Transfer rate: $10,873
Avg net price: 52%
Grad / completion: $42,253
Median earnings

Mid-State Technical College is a public certificate-granting institution in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin (distant town setting), enrolling 2,288 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,288 undergradsDistant townCold wintersSnowy

About Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Wisconsin River. In 1832, Daniel Whitney had built a sawmill 10 miles (16 km) downstream, across from modern Nekoosa. Whitney's operation demonstrated the feasibility of rafting lumber to markets downstream. There are three museums, the South Wood County Historical Corporation Museum, the Alexander House, and the Wisconsin River Paper Making Museum, all of which are housed in historical family homes. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 88 miles to Green Bay, WI
To Great Lakes shore: 87 miles
Nearest airport: 27 miles to Central Wisconsin (CWA)

How Mid-State Technical College compares

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 39% · #21 of 40 in Wisconsin

First-year retention73%

Higher than 51%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,253

Higher than 77% · #13 of 40 in Wisconsin

Average net price$10,873

Cheaper than 67% · #12 cheapest of 38 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$8,000

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment2,288

Larger than 83%

Percentiles compare Mid-State Technical College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Wisconsin.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women1,39661%
Men89239%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White81%
Black2.1%
Hispanic6.6%
Asian2.8%
Other or multiracial7.3%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,288
Student–faculty ratio: 13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 24%
First-generation students: 45%
Students over 25: 34%
Median family income: $25,965
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $80,550
Endowment: $2,607,572

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $5,002
Out-of-state tuition: $7,171
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,465
Total cost of attendance: $15,840
Average net price: $10,873

Outcomes

Graduated: 52%
First-year retention: 73%
Transferred to another college: 3%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $39,007
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $42,253
Median debt at graduation: $8,000
Students with federal loans: 17%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 46%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

52%

Low-income (Pell)

29%

First-generation

30%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: $30

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$8,618

$30–48k

$8,128

$48–75k

$10,965

$75–110k

$15,029

$110k+

$15,312

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

20%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,366

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 20% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,366. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 203 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $42,253
Typical debt at graduation: $8,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 19%
Out-earn a HS grad: 50%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$37,361

Men

$49,381

Men out-earn women by $12,020 (32%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 81°F
Winter low: 5°F
Annual rain: 33.4″
Annual snow: 48.7″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wisconsin Rapids, WI US station (1.1 mi from campus).

What Mid-State Technical College graduates study — and earn

Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

142 grads$25k 1 yr$52k 5 yr$10k debt

142$25,277$51,574$9,599 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

83 grads$48k 1 yr$45k 5 yr$11k debt

83$47,741$45,485$10,976 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

65 grads$65k 1 yr$53k 5 yr$17k debt

65$64,716$52,861$17,447 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

49 grads$39k 1 yr$49k 5 yr$5k debt

49$38,653$48,741$4,750 Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

48 grads$47k 1 yr$45k 5 yr$16k debt

48$47,268$45,333$16,044 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

42 grads$17k 1 yr— 5 yr$6k debt

42$17,385—$6,081 Human Resources Management and ServicesCert.

42 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

42———Construction Trades, OtherCert.

37 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

37———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

37 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

37———Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsCert.

37 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

37———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

33 grads— 1 yr$60k 5 yr$17k debt

33—$60,196$16,500 Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

27 grads— 1 yr$49k 5 yr$11k debt

27—$49,417$10,500

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Mid-State Technical College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Mid-State Technical College side by side →

Blackhawk Technical College

Public

Janesville, Wisconsin · Small suburb · 23 mi to Rockford

Students: 2,488
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 5%
Earnings: $42k

Northwood Technical College

Public

Rice Lake, Wisconsin · Remote town · 82 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 2,149
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 7%
Earnings: $43k

Moraine Park Technical College

Public

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin · Small city · 54 mi to Green Bay

Students: 2,464
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 7%
Earnings: $44k

Northcentral Technical College

Public

Wausau, Wisconsin · Small city · 87 mi to Green Bay

Students: 3,257
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 7%
Earnings: $45k

Western Technical College

Public

La Crosse, Wisconsin · Small city · 106 mi to Madison

Students: 3,183
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 18%
Earnings: $45k

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

Public

Fennimore, Wisconsin · Remote rural · 63 mi to Madison

Students: 1,313
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 3%
Earnings: $43k

Colleges near Mid-State Technical College

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Stevens Point, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 7,306 students

14 mi

State College of Beauty Culture

Wausau, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 57 students

39 mi

Northcentral Technical College

Wausau, WI · Public · Certificate · 3,257 students

42 mi

Ripon College

Ripon, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 688 students

60 mi

College of Menominee Nation

Keshena, WI · Private nonprofit · Associate · 258 students

65 mi

Fox Valley Technical College

Appleton, WI · Public · Certificate · 5,825 students

66 mi

Academy of Beauty Professionals

Appleton, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 37 students

66 mi

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Oshkosh, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 6,877 students

66 mi

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.