Public · Community college

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Midsize city

#2 for grad earnings in South Dakota

1%
Transfer rate: $17,400
Avg net price: 59%
Grad / completion: $46,709
Median earnings

Southeast Technical College is a public associate-granting institution in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (midsize city setting), enrolling 2,310 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,310 undergradsMidsize cityCold wintersSnowy

About Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sioux Falls is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls's history revolves around the cascades of the Big Sioux River. The falls were created about 14,000 years ago during the last ice age. The lure of the falls has been a powerful influence. Downtown Sioux Falls hosts a SculptureWalk every summer and "First Fridays" on the first Friday of each summer month. The annual Downtown Riverfest embraces the beauty of the Big Sioux with live music, art, and kids' activities. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 3 miles to Sioux Falls, SD
To Great Lakes shore: 317 miles
Nearest airport: 2 miles to Sioux Falls (FSD)

How Southeast Technical College compares

Graduation rate59%

Higher than 47% · #6 of 10 in South Dakota

First-year retention70%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,709

Higher than 86% · #2 of 10 in South Dakota

Average net price$17,400

Cheaper than 42% · #8 cheapest of 10 in South Dakota

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment2,310

Larger than 83%

Percentiles compare Southeast 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 South Dakota.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women1,17951%
Men1,13149%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White81%
Black7.3%
Hispanic2.7%
Asian2.1%
Other or multiracial7.1%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,310
Student–faculty ratio: 13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 34%
First-generation students: 33%
Students over 25: 25%
Median family income: $40,848
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $69,858
Endowment: $1,536,215

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $7,650
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $2,400
Total cost of attendance: $20,272
Average net price: $17,400

Outcomes

Graduated: 59%
First-year retention: 70%
Transferred to another college: 1%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $43,427
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $46,709
Median debt at graduation: $12,000
Students with federal loans: 54%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 56%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

59%

Low-income (Pell)

45%

First-generation

44%

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: 202
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 9%
Housing charge (year): $5,000
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 2

Reported offenses in an average year

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

1.0reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft

0.7

Rape

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

$14,418

$30–48k

$15,221

$48–75k

$17,079

$75–110k

$19,425

$110k+

$20,254

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

$1,144

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 20% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,144. 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 522 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): $46,709
Typical debt at graduation: $12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 26%
Out-earn a HS grad: 67%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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

$42,422

Men

$51,642

Men out-earn women by $9,220 (22%) 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: 7°F
Annual rain: 28.3″
Annual snow: 45.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sioux Falls Wfo AP, SD US station (2.8 mi from campus).

What Southeast Technical College graduates study — and earn

Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

110 grads$38k 1 yr$53k 5 yr$17k debt

110$38,446$52,722$17,038 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, OtherCert.

62 grads$48k 1 yr$68k 5 yr$15k debt

62$48,494$67,993$15,095 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

61 grads$73k 1 yr— 5 yr$24k debt

61$73,361—$23,500 Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

60 grads$37k 1 yr$45k 5 yr$21k debt

60$37,383$44,994$20,875 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

51 grads— 1 yr$47k 5 yr— debt

51—$46,533—Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssoc.

50 grads$42k 1 yr— 5 yr$18k debt

50$42,439—$17,756 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

50 grads$46k 1 yr$55k 5 yr$12k debt

50$46,262$54,505$12,000 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

49 grads$63k 1 yr— 5 yr$28k debt

49$62,601—$28,239 Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianAssoc.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssoc.

27 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

27———Public HealthCert.

26 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

26———Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Cert.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———

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 Southeast Technical College

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

Lake Area Technical College

Public

Watertown, South Dakota · Remote town · 95 mi to Sioux Falls

Students: 1,812
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 5%
Earnings: $45k

Mitchell Technical College

Public

Mitchell, South Dakota · Remote town · 64 mi to Sioux Falls

Students: 990
Tuition: $8k
Transfer: 4%
Earnings: $51k

Lake Superior College

Public

Duluth, Minnesota · Small city · 2 mi to Duluth

Students: 2,471
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $46k

NHTI-Concord's Community College

Public

Concord, New Hampshire · Fringe town · 16 mi to Manchester

Students: 2,154
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 22%
Earnings: $49k

Anoka Technical College

Public

Anoka, Minnesota · Large suburb · 18 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 1,684
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $48k

Western Dakota Technical College

Public

Rapid City, South Dakota · Small city · 3 mi to Rapid City

Students: 753
Tuition: $8k
Transfer: 5%
Earnings: $40k

Colleges near Southeast Technical College

Stewart School

Sioux Falls, SD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 133 students

2 mi

Sanford Medical Center

Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 28 students

3 mi

University of Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,218 students

3 mi

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,965 students

4 mi

Kairos University

Sioux Falls, SD · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 82 students

4 mi

Dakota State University

Madison, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 2,071 students

35 mi

Dordt University

Sioux Center, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,597 students

46 mi

South Dakota State University

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

52 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.