LATI vs. Western Dakota Tech

Should I go to Lake Area Technical Institute or Western Dakota Technical Institute? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if LATI or Western Dakota Tech is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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Mitchell Technical Institute
Lake Area Technical Institute vs. Western Dakota Technical Institute comparison
Lake Area Technical Institute Western Dakota Technical Institute College 3 College 4
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Overview

 LATI Western Dakota Tech
Location Watertown, SD Rapid City, SD
Setting Remote Town Rural Fringe
Enrollment 2,238 1,267
Type Public 2 Year Public 2 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website lakeareatech.edu wdt.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 LATI Western Dakota Tech
Tuition (In State) $3,720 $3,472
Tuition (Out of State) $3,720 $3,472
Room & Board $7,600 $13,500
Avg Net Price $12,735 $13,239
Avg Grant Aid $4,149 $4,800
% Receiving Grant Aid 99% 96%

Admission

 LATI Western Dakota Tech
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied - -
Admitted - -
Acceptance Rate Open
Enrolled % Open
Avg High School GPA 3.06 2.93
Typical High School Grades B B-
Admissions Standards Unavailable Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range
SAT Range
Submit Test Scores
Application Deadline Aug 25, 2025

Academics

 LATI Western Dakota Tech
Student to Faculty Ratio 17:1 9:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (33%)
  • Mechanic and Repair Technologies (13%)
  • Engineering Technology (10%)
  • Agriculture (8%)
  • Precision Production Trades (7%)
  • Health Professions (35%)
  • Mechanic and Repair Technologies (18%)
  • Business (14%)
  • Engineering Technology (9%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (7%)

Outcomes

 LATI Western Dakota Tech
Graduation Rate - -
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $37,800 $37,000
Making Student Loan Payments 73% 52%
Median Student Loan Debt $12,000 $12,000
Median Loan Payment $124 $124

Diversity

 LATI Western Dakota Tech
% Men 50% 43%
% Women 50% 57%
Racial Diversity Extremely Low Low
HBCU No No
% White 90% 77%
% Black 0% 2%
% Hispanic 1% 5%
% Native American 2% 11%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 0% 3%
% International 0% 0%
% Unknown Race 5% 2%

Students

 LATI Western Dakota Tech
% In-State 75% 93%
% Out-of-State 25% 7%

Campus

 LATI Western Dakota Tech
Campus Housing No No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No No
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes No
Daycare Facility Yes No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Lake Area Technical Institute is larger than than Western Dakota Tech based on total student enrollment (2,238 students vs. 1,267 students)

LATI vs. Western Dakota Tech Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, LATI or Western Dakota Tech?

  • Lake Area Technical Institute is 7.1% more expensive to attend than Western Dakota Tech for in-state tuition ($3,720.00 vs. $3,472.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 7.1% higher at LATI than Western Dakota Technical Institute ($3,720.00 vs. $3,472.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Lake Area Technical Institute than Western Dakota Tech ($12,735 vs. $13,239)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Lake Area Technical Institute are 77.6% lower than costs at Western Dakota Technical Institute ($7,600 vs. $13,500)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Lake Area Technical Institute than Western Dakota Technical Institute (99% vs. 96%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Western Dakota Technical Institute students is 15.7% larger than aid received Lake Area Technical Institute ($4,800 vs. $4,149)

Which college is harder to get into, LATI or Western Dakota Tech? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Western Dakota Tech or LATI .

  • Accepted freshman LATI students have a 0.13 point higher average high school GPA (3.06) than students at Western Dakota Tech (2.93)

LATI vs. Western Dakota Tech Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, LATI or Western Dakota Tech? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Western Dakota Tech and LATI.

  • Graduates from Lake Area Technical Institute earn on average $800 more per year than Western Dakota Tech graduates after ten years. ($37,800 vs. $37,000)
  • Western Dakota Technical Institute and LATI graduates both have the same median student loan debt upon graduation ($12,000 vs. $12,000)
  • Western Dakota Technical Institute and LATI graduates both have a median monthly student loan payment upon graduation ($124 vs. $124)
  • More LATI graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Western Dakota Tech students, three years after graduation. (73% vs. 52%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/