Student Ambassador Angie Haney
WTCS Ambassador Angie Haney shares how attending Gateway Technical College has positively impacted her life and helped her overcome adversity.
Wisconsin’s technical colleges are open doors to a world of opportunity.
Our colleges are here for you, no matter where you are in your education journey.
- High School students can earn dual credit, which is college credit that also counts toward high school graduation.
- Students can take advantage of robust credit transfer opportunities.
- Earn one of 500+ efficient, affordable postsecondary credentials.
- For those who seeking to improve your academic or English Language skills, for personal growth or career advancement, a technical college is the place for you.
- Stay in the workforce while you advance your career with an “earn while you learn” Apprenticeship.
- Incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals ready for re-entry, to start a new life of prosperity and promise.
- Advance your business with customized instruction for current employees, or business consultation.
Students
Wisconsin's technical colleges provide opportunities for students from many and varied backgrounds to pursue their education. The world is changing before our eyes. An education from one of our colleges ensures you can continue to keep up. Whether you need a single course, an industry-approved credential, additional skills for your resume, or to pivot to a new career altogether, our colleges are ready to help you succeed.
Lifelong learning is now an economic imperative for individuals, employers and Wisconsin's economy. Wisconsin's technical colleges were built for this moment.
Students
250000
students attend a Wisconsin technical college every year
Technical colleges are accessible to students of all backgrounds.
1,417
0.46%
Displaced Homemaker
8,660
2.81%
LEP
14,395
4.68%
Disabled
5,962
1.94%
Incarcerated
11,485
3.73%
Non-Traditional
17,591
5.71%
Single Parent
Watch Angie's story
Fact Book: Student Data
The WTCS Fact Book: Student Data includes information about headcount and Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) student enrollments, program and apprenticeship outcomes information, and student demographic data.
Read the publication online here or download using the links below.
System-wide Equity Report
The Wisconsin Technical College System provides open-access educational opportunities for all Wisconsin residents and a reliable talent pipeline for employers.
For these connections to thrive, students need not only access to our colleges, but also equitable opportunities to achieve success. Closing opportunity gaps has emerged as an economic imperative for Wisconsin. WTCS is actively engaged in an aligned, accelerated and System-wide approach to addressing these gaps and improving success for all students.
This report identifies existing gaps in access and success for our students, as well as staff, and sets three goals to advance equity and inclusion System-wide.
Read the report online here or download using the link below.
Transfers
More than 25,000 students attending a Wisconsin technical college had already earned college credits upon enrolling in one our colleges. So if you're seeking to enhance your skills or do something completely different, you're not alone. The average age of our college student is 34.
Looking to start here and continue on after that? There are more than 600 transfer agreements between Wisconsin technical colleges and other higher education institutions. You can save time and money by earning a few credentials or a complete degree at a technical college and transferring to a four-year college or university after that.
Students transferring to or from a Wisconsin technical college expect that most or all of their credits will transfer.
Students
39%
of students transferring credits to Wisconsin technical colleges were from the University of Wisconsin System
10233
students transferred 146,346 credits to a Wisconsin technical college in 2019
600+
transfer agreements exist between Wisconsin technical colleges and other higher education institutions
Student Ambassador Max Czechowski
WTCS State Ambassador Max Czechowski talks about his educational journey at Waukesha County Technical College, which began while he was still in high school.
Credit Transfer Report
For a variety of reasons, college students now routinely attend multiple higher education institutions to achieve their academic and career goals. Nationally, more than one-third of college students transfer at least once, with most staying within the same state.
Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges often serve as an entry point for students with four-year degree aspirations. Lesser known is that they also provide valuable options for four-year students seeking to transfer to a technical college.
Because receiving institutions maintain student records, this report’s primary focus is on students who transferred credits to one of Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges.
Read the report online here or download using the links below.
Dual Credit
High school students can earn college credit before even graduating high school. With the many dual credit options available to students across the state, some students even graduate with an associate degree at the same time they walk across their high school graduation stage.
I was able to get pretty close to being done with the first year of my associate degree program before I even finished high school.
Students
52543
high school students earned about $31 million worth of dual credits in 2019-20
228769
dual credits were earned
395
Wisconsin high schools had more than 3,700 transcripted credit agreements with tech colleges
Student Ambassador Keydi Osorio
WTCS State Ambassador Keydi Osorio shares her educational journey at Gateway Technical College, which began while she was still in high school.
Dual Credit
Students and families are increasingly interested in the ability of K-12 students to earn college credit while still in high school, saving them time and money after high school graduation.
Motivated students are now earning not only credit from a technical college, but they are earning technical college credentials - up to and including Associate Degrees - before high school graduation, at no cost to the student or family.
View the publication online here or download using the links below.
