Public · Community college

Western Technical College

La Crosse, Wisconsin · Small city

18%
Transfer rate
$11,008
Avg net price
34%
Grad / completion
$45,303
Median earnings

Western Technical College is a public certificate-granting institution in La Crosse, Wisconsin (small city setting), enrolling 3,183 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,183 undergradsSmall cityNJCAA Division IIICold wintersSnowy

About La Crosse, Wisconsin

La Crosse is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The first Europeans to see the region were French explorers who traveled the Mississippi River in the late 17th century. There is no written record of any visit to the site until 1805, when Lt. Zebulon Pike mounted an expedition up the Mississippi River for the United States. La Crosse has over 30 active arts organizations. The Pump House Regional Arts Center hosts visual arts exhibits throughout the year plus its own series of jazz, folk, and blues performers. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
106 miles to Madison, WI
To Great Lakes shore
167 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to La Crosse (LSE)

How Western Technical College compares

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 18% · #32 of 40 in Wisconsin

First-year retention45%

Higher than 8%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,303

Higher than 84% · #6 of 40 in Wisconsin

Average net price$11,008

Cheaper than 66% · #13 cheapest of 38 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$11,500

Lower than 33%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 86%

Undergraduate enrollment3,183

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare Western 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 Wisconsin.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

3,183undergrads
  • Women1,70554%
  • Men1,47846%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White78%
  • Black2.5%
  • Asian5.3%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,183
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
35%
Median family income
$34,889
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$76,491
Endowment
$8,281,100

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,820
Out-of-state tuition
$7,078
Room & board
$8,374
Books & supplies
$1,464
Total cost of attendance
$16,078
Average net price
$11,008

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
34%
First-year retention
45%
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,169
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,303
Median debt at graduation
$11,500
Students with federal loans
33%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
44%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
34%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
36%

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
200
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
6%
Housing charge (year)
$5,450
Meal plan (year)
$1,600
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NJCAA Division III
Varsity athletes
123 (91 men · 32 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 (4)

Other Sports75
Baseball23
Weight Lifting15
Volleyball10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 8 campuses (3,625 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.3
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
$7,483
$30–48k
$8,083
$48–75k
$10,581
$75–110k
$13,786
$110k+
$15,430

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.

25%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,923
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 25% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,923. 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 616 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)
$45,303
Typical debt at graduation
$11,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 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
$40,088
Men
$52,037

Men out-earn women by $11,949 (30%) 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
80°F
Winter low
8°F
Annual rain
37.5″
Annual snow
54.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, LA Crosse Wfo, WI US station (2.8 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 Western Technical College

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

Colleges near Western 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.