Public · Community college
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City, South Dakota · Small city
- 5%
- Transfer rate
- $12,670
- Avg net price
- 54%
- Grad / completion
- $40,240
- Median earnings
Western Dakota Technical College is a public associate-granting institution in Rapid City, South Dakota (small city setting), enrolling 753 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is a city in and the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The public discovery of gold in 1874 by the Black Hills Expedition, led by George Armstrong Custer, brought a mass influx of European-American miners and settlers into Rapid City. Rapid City has invested in public sculptures, notably "The City of Presidents" series of life-sized bronze statues depicting each former President of the United States, located on street corners in the downtown area. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 3 miles to Rapid City, SD
- To Great Lakes shore
- 567 miles
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Rapid City (RAP)
How Western Dakota Technical College compares
Higher than 41% · #7 of 10 in South Dakota
Higher than 39%
Higher than 69% · #4 of 10 in South Dakota
Cheaper than 59% · #3 cheapest of 10 in South Dakota
Lower than 14%
Lower than 78%
Larger than 69%
Percentiles compare Western Dakota 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
- Women39452%
- Men35948%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White73%
- Black1.9%
- Hispanic7.0%
- Asian1.3%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 753
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 33%
- First-generation students
- 38%
- Students over 25
- 29%
- Median family income
- $25,793
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $61,434
- Endowment
- $249,626
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $8,294
- Room & board
- $8,150
- Books & supplies
- $800
- Total cost of attendance
- $18,845
- Average net price
- $12,670
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
- 54%
- First-year retention
- 67%
- Transferred to another college
- 5%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,971
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $40,240
- Median debt at graduation
- $15,000
- Students with federal loans
- 41%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 43%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 40
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 5%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,700
- 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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.6 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,164 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 19% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,421. 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 153 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)
- $40,240
- Typical debt at graduation
- $15,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 37%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 52%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $10,430 (29%) 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
- 84°F
- Winter low
- 16°F
- Annual rain
- 20″
- Annual snow
- 53.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rapid City Wfo, SD US station (1.6 mi from campus).
What Western Dakota Technical College 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 Dakota Technical College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Western Dakota Technical College side by side →
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown, South Dakota · Remote town · 95 mi to Sioux Falls
- Students
- 1,812
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $45k
Cloud County Community College
Concordia, Kansas · Fringe rural · 101 mi to Lincoln
- Students
- 762
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 18%
- Earnings
- $40k
Northeastern Junior College
Sterling, Colorado · Remote town · 113 mi to Denver
- Students
- 786
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $40k
Mitchell Technical College
Mitchell, South Dakota · Remote town · 64 mi to Sioux Falls
- Students
- 990
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 4%
- Earnings
- $51k
William T McFatter Technical College
Davie, Florida · Large suburb · 22 mi to Miami
- Students
- 697
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $42k
Richard Bland College
South Prince George, Virginia · Fringe rural · 27 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 894
- Tuition
- $9k
- Transfer
- 65%
- Earnings
- $41k
Colleges near Western Dakota Technical College
The Salon Professional Academy
Rapid City, SD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 80 students
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Rapid City, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 2,071 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid City
Rapid City, SD · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
Black Hills State University
Spearfish, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 1,928 students
Oglala Lakota College
Kyle, SD · Public · Associate · 1,097 students
Chadron State College
Chadron, NE · Public · Bachelor's · 1,540 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.











