Community CollegePublic

Lake Area Technical College

Watertown, South Dakota·Public, 2-year·Plains·lakeareatech.edu
6-yr Graduation
73%
—
Total enrollment
2,312
peer median 2,141
Avg net price
$15,979
+$395 vs Community College
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OutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeers

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
73%
Full-time retention
81%

Pell equity

6.8pp gap
Pell recipients
69%187 of 272
Non-Pell (all)
76%329 of 434
Subsidized loan, no Pell
70%102 of 146
No Federal Aid
79%227 of 288

Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.8-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 41 Title IV programs, 13 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 28 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
41
Passing
13
31.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

41programs
  • Passing13 · 31.7%
  • No Data28 · 68.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
10
No data
28

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

13
Human Services General
Associate Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+3.0%
$37,135 vs $36,067
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+20.8%
$43,574 vs $36,067
Marketing
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+21.0%
$43,632 vs $36,067
Finance and Financial Management Services
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+31.5%
$47,420 vs $36,067
Building/Construction Finishing Management and Inspection
Associate Degree · Construction Trades
+32.9%
$47,946 vs $36,067
Agricultural Business and Management
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+33.9%
$48,305 vs $36,067
Precision Metal Working
Associate Degree · Precision Production
+42.0%
$51,201 vs $36,067
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+42.5%
$51,402 vs $36,067

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Human Services General
Associate Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+3.0%
+$1,068

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

14
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Undergraduate Certificate · Personal And Culinary Services
34%
$12,000 debt · $35,222 earn
Human Services General
Associate Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
32%
$12,000 debt · $37,135 earn
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
28%
$12,000 debt · $43,574 earn
Marketing
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
28%
$12,000 debt · $43,632 earn
Finance and Financial Management Services
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
25%
$12,000 debt · $47,420 earn
Building/Construction Finishing Management and Inspection
Associate Degree · Construction Trades
25%
$12,000 debt · $47,946 earn
Agricultural Business and Management
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
25%
$12,000 debt · $48,305 earn
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
25%
$12,692 debt · $51,402 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1980Next review Aug 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 11

  1. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) - Programs leading to an associate degree
  2. Feb 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  3. Dec 2022Warning or Equivalent-Factors Affecting Academic Quality
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) - Programs leading to an associate degree
  4. Nov 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
  5. Sep 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (PNUR) - Practical nursing programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$11,193
$30–48k$12,971
$48–75k$14,129
$75–110k$18,118
$110k+$18,230

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$15,979
+$395vs Community College median $15,585
Federal loans
57.4%
In-state tuition
$6,718
Out-of-state
$6,718

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 812 students received $4.3M in Pell grants, alongside $6.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
812
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.3M
$4,299,390 total
Direct Loans
$6.0M
1,627 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.5M
771 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.9M
813 loan awards
Parent PLUS$567K
43 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 765 borrowers who entered repayment, 16 (2.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.0%
-0.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
765
Defaulted
16
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.4%
2017
7.1%
2018
8.0%
2019
2.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Lake Area Technical College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs31
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

578 total completions
01Mechanic
13823.9%
02Health Professions
12020.8%
03Agriculture
11119.2%
04Business
7513.0%
05Precision Production
356.1%
06Engineering Tech
335.7%
07Computer Sciences
183.1%
08Transportation
183.1%
09Public Admin
152.6%
10Construction Trades
152.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
2,312
12-mo unduplicated
2,905
Undergraduate
2,905
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
47%1,377
Women
53%1,528

Race / ethnicity composition

White
88.0%
Unknown
3.1%
Hispanic
2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
2.7%
Black
1.9%
Asian
1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.4%
Non-resident
0.1%
Two or more
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
70
65 M · 5 W
Women athletes
7.1%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$28K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
—
—
Recruiting expense
—
—
Head-coach salaries
—
—
Men Women

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 2,179 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    16.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    115

    Lake Area Technical College vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Lake Area Technical College selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectLake Area Technical College
    		73%—2,312$15,979Community College
    Southeast Technical College
    		——2,659$17,400Community College
    Mitchell Technical College
    		——1,186$13,460Community College
    Anoka Technical College
    		——1,970$16,953Community College
    North Central Missouri College
    		——1,951$13,626Community College
    State Technical College of Missouri
    		——2,346$15,190Community College
    Peer group median73%—2,141$15,585

    Institutions like Lake Area Technical College

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Lake Area Technical College's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Frequently asked questions about Lake Area Technical College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Lake Area Technical College.

    What is the graduation rate at Lake Area Technical College?

    Lake Area Technical College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 73% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Lake Area Technical College?

    Lake Area Technical College reports a total enrollment of 2,312 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Lake Area Technical College?

    The average net price at Lake Area Technical College is $15,979 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Lake Area Technical College located?

    Lake Area Technical College is located in Watertown, South Dakota 57201-0730.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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