Associate's · La Crosse, Wisconsin

Is Design and Applied Arts at Western Technical College worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $31,973; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $41,142; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $11,660; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $25k (likely $25k – $28k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $406 a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in WI; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: Not within 20 years in most scenarios; Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$120k (likely −$182k – −$54k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$85k (likely −$220k – $66k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 36%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26