by our College Data Analytics TeamWestern Dakota Technical College is a public institution in Rapid City, South Dakota enrolling 753 undergraduates. It has an on-time graduation rate of 54%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,043 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 40%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Western Dakota Technical College ranks #2,043 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 40%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Western Dakota Technical College was awarded 9 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked Western Dakota Tech as #2,043 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
Western Dakota Tech is also ranked #13 on the Best Colleges in South Dakota list.
See all of the rankings for Western Dakota Technical College.
Learn more about Western Dakota Technical College admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Western Dakota Tech is an impressive 11 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Western Dakota Technical College is 57%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Western Dakota Technical College is 67%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Western Dakota Tech for first-time, full-time students is 54%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Western Dakota Technical College.
During the most recent academic year, there were 753 undergraduates at Western Dakota Tech.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Western Dakota Technical College.
The average net price of Western Dakota Tech is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,071 | $10,543 | $14,003 | $18,657 | $18,845 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Western Dakota Tech, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Western Dakota Tech, approximately 41% of students took out student loans averaging $7,495 a year. That adds up to $29,980 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 13.1%. This is higher than the national default rate of 10.1% so you should proceed with caution when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Western Dakota Technical College.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Western Dakota Technical College make about $40,240 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. Unfortunately, this is 18% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Western Dakota Technical College make the most money.
Western Dakota Technical College is a public institution located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Western Dakota Technical College.
Contact information for Western Dakota Technical College can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 800 Mickelson Dr, Rapid City, SD 57703-4018 |
| Phone: | 6057182400 |
| Website: | www.wdt.edu |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 11 majors graduated from Western Dakota Technical College. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 350 | NA |
| Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 55 | $40,832 |
| Nursing | 34 | NA |
| Vehicle Maintenance & Repair | 32 | $38,609 |
| Computer Systems Networking | 25 | $34,470 |
| Precision Metal Working | 25 | $38,018 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | 19 | $40,177 |
| Accounting | 17 | NA |
| Electrical & Power Installation | 15 | $37,211 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 15 | NA |
543 students took at least one online class at Western Dakota Technical College.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Western Dakota Technical College.
Want to see how other colleges compare to Western Dakota Tech? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.