Lake Area Tech Earns Gold Military Friendly® School Designation
WATERTOWN, SD – Officials at Lake Area Technical College announced today that the school has earned the 2026-2027 Military Friendly® School gold-level designation. This is the 16th year Lake Area Tech has received the Military Friendly® School award.
The designation recognizes Lake Area Tech as a top tier institution among similar-sized two-year colleges nationwide for serving student veterans, active-duty service members, and their families. The college is currently serving 228 students who are military-connected. 18 Lake Area Technical College employees are veterans or actively serving in the guard or reserves.
“I’m incredibly proud of how our faculty and staff show up for our military-connected students,” said President Tiffany Sanderson. “This recognition reflects a genuine commitment to helping students succeed, not just in the classroom, but in in their careers.” Lake Area Tech has a dedicated Veteran Services office designed to support military students. The office representatives work one-on-one with military members to ensure their transition from military life to student life is as seamless as possible. Lake Area Tech’s military-friendly community provides a solid foundation for employment in today’s high-demand fields.
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated on data related to student success in categories such as retention, graduation, career placement, loan repayment, and degree advancement or transfer. More than 3,200 schools participated in the 2026-2027 survey with 878 earning special awards for going above the standard.
The 2026-2027 Military Friendly® Schools list can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com. For more information about Lake Area Tech’s student veteran services, visit https://www.lakeareatech.edu/.
About Lake Area Technical College
Founded in 1965 as the first technical college in South Dakota, Lake Area Technical College offers comprehensive technical education in more than 30 high-demand fields. Lake Area Tech has been nationally recognized as a leader in technical education with a strong record of success:
- More than 2,600 students
- Nearly 23,000 graduates
- 99% of graduates are employed or continuing education
- 84% of graduates live and work in South Dakota
- 2017 recipient of the National Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence
For more information www.lakeareatech.edu
