Community CollegePublic

Western Dakota Technical College

Rapid City, South Dakota·Public, 2-year·Plains·wdt.edu
6-yr Graduation
54%
Total enrollment
1,164
peer median 1,489
Avg net price
$12,670
+$139 vs Community College
Use this data
Ask Clema

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
54%
Full-time retention
67%

Pell equity

33.7pp gap
Pell recipients
34%21 of 62
Non-Pell (all)
68%63 of 93
Subsidized loan, no Pell
50%9 of 18
No Federal Aid
72%54 of 75

Non-Pell students graduate at a 33.7-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.

Of 43 Title IV programs, 8 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 34 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
43
Passing
8
18.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
2.3% of portfolio
Fail rate
2.3%
+1.7pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

43programs
  • Passing8 · 18.6%
  • No Data34 · 79.1%
  • Failing1 · 2.3%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
1
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
7
No data
34

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.

9
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
-1.2%
$35,644 vs $36,067
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+11.8%
$40,340 vs $36,067
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+29.4%
$46,659 vs $36,067
Precision Metal Working
Associate Degree · Precision Production
+44.1%
$51,988 vs $36,067
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+46.4%
$52,795 vs $36,067
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
+52.3%
$54,948 vs $36,067
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+54.4%
$55,671 vs $36,067
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
Associate Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
+65.5%
$59,696 vs $36,067

Near the line (±5%)

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

1
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
-1.2%
$423

Debt vs earnings

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

11
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
55%
$19,722 debt · $35,644 earn
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
50%
$20,000 debt · $40,340 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
33%
$17,379 debt · $52,795 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
26%
$12,000 debt · $46,659 earn
Practical Nursing Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
Undergraduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
25%
$13,675 debt · $53,976 earn
Precision Metal Working
Associate Degree · Precision Production
25%
$13,000 debt · $51,988 earn
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
Associate Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
25%
$14,750 debt · $59,696 earn
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
Undergraduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
22%
$8,939 debt · $39,988 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1983Next review Aug 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 9

  1. Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  2. Jun 2024Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (PNUR) - Practical nursing programs
  3. Aug 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  4. Aug 2023Removal of Monitoring Status
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  5. Feb 2023Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,071
$30–48k$10,543
$48–75k$14,003
$75–110k$18,657
$110k+$18,845

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

Avg net price
$12,670
+$139vs Community College median $12,532
Federal loans
41.4%
In-state tuition
$8,294
Out-of-state
$8,294

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 614 students received $2.6M in Pell grants, alongside $3.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
614
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.6M
$2,644,669 total
Direct Loans
$3.3M
962 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
0k
22
0k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.3M
448 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.9M
509 loan awards
Parent PLUS$31K
5 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.

Of 491 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (1.8%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.8%
-0.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
491
Defaulted
9
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
12.2%
2017
13.3%
2018
12.0%
2019
1.8%
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 WDT

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs41
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

205 total completions
01Health Professions
7737.6%
02Mechanic
3919.0%
03Business
209.8%
04Computer Sciences
167.8%
05Construction Trades
157.3%
06Precision Production
136.3%
07Security/Protective
125.9%
08Engineering Tech
115.4%
09Multi/Interdisciplinary
21.0%
10Agriculture
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
1,164
12-mo unduplicated
1,626
Undergraduate
1,626
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
43%694
Women
57%932

Race / ethnicity composition

White
72.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
10.9%
Hispanic
7.0%
Two or more
4.4%
Black
1.9%
Unknown
1.5%
Asian
1.3%
Non-resident
0.1%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.96
1 offenses · 1,047 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.791 yr ago0.96Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
2
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

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
Weapons10
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.

Student-to-faculty
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
54

WDT vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions WDT selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectWestern Dakota Technical College
54%1,164$12,670Community College
987$12,393Community College
1,813$10,271Community College
1,945$13,933Community College
2,092$6,717Community College
752$13,074Community College
Peer group median54%1,489$12,532

Institutions like WDT

Explore the federal data for institutions in WDT's comparison group.

WDT Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Team
1 member
  • Kelly Oehlerking
    Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Student Success

Frequently asked questions about Western Dakota Technical College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about WDT.

What is the graduation rate at Western Dakota Technical College?

Western Dakota Technical College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 54% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Western Dakota Technical College?

Western Dakota Technical College reports a total enrollment of 1,164 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Western Dakota Technical College?

The average net price at Western Dakota Technical College is $12,670 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Western Dakota Technical College located?

Western Dakota Technical College is located in Rapid City, South Dakota 57703-4018.

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.
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.
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.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
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.
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.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Western Dakota Technical College and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card