Public · Community college
Western Area Career & Technology Center
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural
- —
- Transfer rate
- $8,066
- Avg net price
- —
- Grad / completion
- $43,189
- Median earnings
Western Area Career & Technology Center is a public certificate-granting institution in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania (fringe rural setting), enrolling 23 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Pittsburgh. Sometime prior to May 1780, Colonel John Canon, a common miller who served as justice of the Virginia courts at Fort Pitt, purchased some land around Chartiers Creek from the state of Virginia. The Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade is a parade through Canonsburg celebrating Independence Day. It is the second-largest Fourth of July parade in Pennsylvania, second only to Philadelphia, despite Canonsburg having only 9,744 residents. 50,000 to 60,000 people usually attend. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 18 miles to Pittsburgh, PA
- To Great Lakes shore
- 115 miles
- Nearest airport
- 16 miles to Pittsburgh (PIT) · major hub
How Western Area Career & Technology Center compares
Higher than 11%
Higher than 79% · #52 of 137 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 78% · #14 cheapest of 152 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 95%
Larger than 4%
Percentiles compare Western Area Career & Technology Center 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 Pennsylvania.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2087%
- Men313%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White74%
- Black26%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 23
- Student–faculty ratio
- 6 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 80%
- First-generation students
- 59%
- Students over 25
- 82%
- Median family income
- $22,614
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $8,066
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
- —
- First-year retention
- 50%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $42,272
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,189
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 70%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 41%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
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.
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)
- $43,189
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 60%
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.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 20°F
- Annual rain
- 41.3″
- Annual snow
- 31.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Washington 3 NE, PA US station (6 mi from campus).
What Western Area Career & Technology Center graduates study — and earn
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 Western Area Career & Technology Center
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Western Area Career & Technology Center side by side →
Clearfield County Career and Technology Center
Clearfield, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 92 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 31
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $42k
Jefferson County DuBois Area Vocational Technical School
Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania · Distant rural · 74 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 39
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $37k
Northern Tier Career Center
Towanda, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 51 mi to Scranton
- Students
- 50
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $39k
Venango County Area Vocational Technical School
Oil City, Pennsylvania · Remote town · 53 mi to Erie
- Students
- 59
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
Somerset County Technology Center
Somerset, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 59 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 59
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
Schuylkill Technology Center
Frackville, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 40 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 102
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $49k
Colleges near Western Area Career & Technology Center
Washington Health System School of Nursing
Washington, PA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 37 students
Penn Commercial Business/Technical School
Washington, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 265 students
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,295 students
South Hills Beauty Academy
Pittsburgh, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 183 students
Rosedale Technical College
Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 475 students
Barber School of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 86 students
Bethany College
Bethany, WV · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 614 students
Empire Beauty School-West Mifflin
West Mifflin, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 82 students
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.