Public · Community college

Minnesota West Community and Technical College

Granite Falls, Minnesota · Remote rural

15%
Transfer rate
$11,191
Avg net price
52%
Grad / completion
$45,285
Median earnings

Minnesota West Community and Technical College is a public certificate-granting institution in Granite Falls, Minnesota (remote rural setting), enrolling 1,762 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,762 undergradsRemote ruralNJCAA Division IIICold wintersSnowy

About Granite Falls, Minnesota

Granite Falls is a city located mostly in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, of which it is the county seat with a small portion in Chippewa County, Minnesota. In 1870 a post office began operating at Granite Falls. The town was platted in 1872 and named for deposits of granite rock in the area. In 1874 the county seat was moved to Granite Falls and a small one courtroom courthouse was erected. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
To Great Lakes shore
214 miles
Nearest airport
78 miles to Watertown (ATY)

How Minnesota West Community and Technical College compares

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 39% · #18 of 42 in Minnesota

First-year retention68%

Higher than 40%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,285

Higher than 84% · #19 of 40 in Minnesota

Average net price$11,191

Cheaper than 66% · #13 cheapest of 43 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$10,987

Lower than 36%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment1,762

Larger than 80%

Percentiles compare Minnesota West Community and 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 Minnesota.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,762undergrads
  • Women99657%
  • Men76643%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White67%
  • Black6.8%
  • Hispanic16%
  • Asian2.3%
  • Other or multiracial7.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,762
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
16%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
33%
Median family income
$31,859
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,908
Endowment
$1,098,000

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,491
Room & board
$6,500
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$17,408
Average net price
$11,191

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
52%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
15%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,894
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,285
Median debt at graduation
$10,987
Students with federal loans
13%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
48%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
52%
Low-income (Pell)
30%
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
Yes
Dorm capacity
14
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
1%
Housing charge (year)
$2,600
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division III
Varsity athletes
190 (148 men · 42 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Football62
Baseball33
Basketball28
Soccer25
Volleyball17
Softball12
Wrestling12
Golf1

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (3,695 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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
$8,950
$30–48k
$9,317
$48–75k
$10,083
$75–110k
$13,563
$110k+
$16,499

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.

2%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$457
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 2% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $457. 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 305 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)
$45,285
Typical debt at graduation
$10,987
Debt vs. one year's pay
24%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 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
$39,718
Men
$52,616

Men out-earn women by $12,898 (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
85°F
Winter low
3°F
Annual rain
28.6″
Annual snow
51.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Granite Falls, MN US station (0.6 mi from campus).

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 Minnesota West Community and Technical College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Minnesota West Community and Technical College side by side →

Colleges near Minnesota West Community and Technical College

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.