After Lake Area Technical College: graduation, pay and debt
Watertown, South Dakota · Public · 2,179 undergrads
The typical student earns $45,473 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $12,000 in federal loans at the median.
The short answers
$45.5k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
$12k
median federal debt at graduation.
71%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers
Finishing
Finished a two-year program within three yearsCollege Scorecard
67%
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
76%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
7%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
659
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard
6.2%
Pay after college
Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$43,659
Median pay 8 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$45,724
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$45,473
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard
65%
Debt and paying it back
Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard
$12,000
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard
$9,888
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard
$10,000
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard
$9,500
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
71%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
76%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
80%
Where these numbers come from
- Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard (checked May 7, 2026)
Updated May 8, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers