Public · Community college

Sisseton Wahpeton College

Sisseton, South Dakota · Remote rural

#2 best value in South Dakota

0%
Transfer rate: $2,977
Avg net price: 21%
Grad / completion: $31,546
Median earnings

Sisseton Wahpeton College is a public associate-granting institution in Sisseton, South Dakota (remote rural setting), enrolling 194 undergraduates. It is a Tribal college. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 194 undergradsRemote ruralIndependentCold wintersSnowy

About Sisseton, South Dakota

Sisseton is a city in Roberts County, South Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Roberts County. Sisseton is home to several tourist attractions, including the Nicollet Tower, and is near the "Song to the Great Spirit" building on the Sisseton Wahpeton College campus. The city is named for the Sisseton division of the Sioux people. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote rural
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 92 miles to Fargo, ND
To Great Lakes shore: 251 miles
Nearest airport: 45 miles to Watertown (ATY)

How Sisseton Wahpeton College compares

Graduation rate21%

Higher than 5% · #8 of 10 in South Dakota

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,546

Higher than 37% · #6 of 10 in South Dakota

Average net price$2,977

Cheaper than 96% · #2 cheapest of 10 in South Dakota

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment194

Larger than 44%

Percentiles compare Sisseton Wahpeton 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 South Dakota.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women12263%
Men7237%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White1.6%
Black2.6%
Hispanic0.5%
Other or multiracial95%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 194
Student–faculty ratio: 8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 64%
First-generation students: 52%
Students over 25: 57%
Median family income: $7,402
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $57,798
Endowment: $1,523,720

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $4,330
Room & board: $3,500
Books & supplies: $1,300
Total cost of attendance: $9,998
Average net price: $2,977

Outcomes

Graduated: 21%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $23,940
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $31,546
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 0%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 39
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 20%
Application fee: Free
Athletics: Independent
Varsity athletes: 34 (12 men · 22 women)

Varsity sports (2)

Basketball24

Volleyball10

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

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

$590

$30–48k

$5,909

$48–75k

$5,315

$75–110k

$7,871

$110k+

—

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.

Is it worth it?

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

Median earnings (10 years): $31,546
Typical debt at graduation: —
Debt vs. one year's pay: —
Out-earn a HS grad: 31%

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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

$29,311

Men

$34,045

Men out-earn women by $4,734 (16%) 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: 82°F
Winter low: 4°F
Annual rain: 25.4″
Annual snow: 48″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sisseton, SD US station (7.2 mi from campus).

What Sisseton Wahpeton College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsCert.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Behavioral Sciences

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group StudiesAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Construction Trades, OtherCert.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Computer Software and Media ApplicationsAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCert.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Computer Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Behavioral SciencesAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———

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 Sisseton Wahpeton College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Sisseton Wahpeton College side by side →

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Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $28k

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Fred K Marchman Technical College

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Colleges near Sisseton Wahpeton College

Lake Area Technical College

Watertown, SD · Public · Associate · 1,812 students

46 mi

North Dakota State College of Science

Wahpeton, ND · Public · Associate · 1,909 students

54 mi

University of Minnesota-Morris

Morris, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 936 students

56 mi

Minnesota State Community and Technical College

Fergus Falls, MN · Public · Associate · 2,942 students

68 mi

Northern State University

Aberdeen, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 1,273 students

69 mi

Trinity Bible College and Graduate School

Ellendale, ND · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 141 students

76 mi

Alexandria Technical & Community College

Alexandria, MN · Public · Associate · 1,533 students

84 mi

South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 9,198 students

87 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.