Western Technical College (Wisconsin) Computer Networking (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
- Public college
- La Crosse, WI
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western Technical College (Wisconsin) computer networking graduates earn about what computer networking graduates earn nationally, $45,381 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $15,832 in federal loans, close to the national median of $17,908. Two other Wisconsin programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Wisconsin and national columns are the medians across all computer networking associate's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Western Technical College (Wisconsin) graduates earn more than the national figure and about $4,633 more than the Wisconsin median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Wisconsin computer networking program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Wisconsin medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 41% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $168 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
82% of graduates (18 of 22) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating. Prices in the La Crosse area are about 8% below the national average, so a $45,381 salary here buys what about $49,451 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to computer networking, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Software Developers
$122,660Median pay in Wisconsin. 21,730 people work in this job in Wisconsin. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 95,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$160,140Median pay in Wisconsin. 8,880 people work in this job in Wisconsin. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 16% from 2025 to 2035, with about 53,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.
Computer Systems Analysts
$100,440Median pay in Wisconsin. 8,340 people work in this job in Wisconsin. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Information Security Analysts
$101,550Median pay in Wisconsin. 2,130 people work in this job in Wisconsin. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
About Western Technical College (Wisconsin)
Computer Networking ranks 4th of 12 associate's programs at Western Technical College (Wisconsin) by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($64,274), Electromechanical Technology ($60,488), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($55,465).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $45,381 one year after graduating and $63,992 five years after. The median across computer networking associate's programs in Wisconsin is $43,276.
The median federal loan balance is $15,832, which ranks 4th lowest of 7 computer networking associate's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $168 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 35% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 42%.
Most do. 82% (18 of 22) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Wisconsin comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the computer networking program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024