Western Technical College (Wisconsin) Mental Health and Addiction Services (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
- Public college
- La Crosse, WI
- About 43 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western Technical College (Wisconsin) mental health and addiction services graduates earn less than graduates of most mental health and addiction services programs nationally, $25,442 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $17,454 in federal loans, close to the national median of $18,561. Several 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 mental health and addiction services associate's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Western Technical College (Wisconsin) graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,798 less than the Wisconsin median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Wisconsin mental health and addiction services 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 $185 a month, or 8.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
94% of graduates (17 of 18) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating. Prices in the La Crosse area are about 8% below the national average, so a $25,442 salary here buys what about $27,724 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 mental health and addiction services, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
$59,280Median pay in Wisconsin. 5,710 people work in this job in Wisconsin. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Healthcare Social Workers
$66,910Median pay in Wisconsin. 3,770 people work in this job in Wisconsin. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Psychiatric Technicians
$40,290Median pay in Wisconsin. 4,430 people work in this job in Wisconsin. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 22% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
$61,860Median pay in Wisconsin. 1,880 people work in this job in Wisconsin. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About Western Technical College (Wisconsin)
Mental Health and Addiction Services ranks 11th 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 $25,442 one year after graduating and $35,912 five years after. The median across mental health and addiction services associate's programs in Wisconsin is $30,288.
The median federal loan balance is $17,454, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 mental health and addiction services associate's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $185 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 63%. Compare the cost with other Wisconsin programs before deciding.
Most do. 94% (17 of 18) 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 mental health and addiction services 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