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.
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
Higher than 18% · #32 of 40 in Wisconsin
Higher than 8%
Higher than 84% · #6 of 40 in Wisconsin
Cheaper than 66% · #13 cheapest of 38 in Wisconsin
Lower than 33%
Lower than 86%
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
- 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)
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)
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.
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: 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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, LA Crosse Wfo, WI US station (2.8 mi from campus).
What Western 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 Technical College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Western Technical College side by side →
Northcentral Technical College
Wausau, Wisconsin · Small city · 87 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 3,257
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $45k
Chippewa Valley Technical College
Eau Claire, Wisconsin · Small city · 87 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 4,272
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $46k
Moraine Park Technical College
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin · Small city · 54 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 2,464
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $44k
Waukesha County Technical College
Pewaukee, Wisconsin · Large suburb · 18 mi to Milwaukee
- Students
- 4,955
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $47k
Mid-State Technical College
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin · Distant town · 88 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 2,288
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 3%
- Earnings
- $42k
Northwood Technical College
Rice Lake, Wisconsin · Remote town · 82 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 2,149
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Western Technical College
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 9,277 students
Viterbo University
La Crosse, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,249 students
The Salon Professional Academy-Onalaska
Onalaska, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 67 students
Minnesota State College Southeast
Winona, MN · Public · Certificate · 1,388 students
Winona State University
Winona, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 5,144 students
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Winona, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,073 students
Luther College
Decorah, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,379 students
Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar, IA · Public · Associate · 1,697 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.













