Public · Community college

Columbia Gorge Community College

The Dalles, Oregon · Remote town

#3 for grad earnings in Oregon

16%
Transfer rate: $10,416
Avg net price: 29%
Grad / completion: $44,440
Median earnings

Columbia Gorge Community College is a public associate-granting institution in The Dalles, Oregon (remote town setting), enrolling 543 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 543 undergradsRemote townCold winters

About The Dalles, Oregon

The Dalles, formally the City of the Dalles and also called Dalles City, is an inland port, the county seat of and the largest city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The general area is one of the continent's most significant archaeological regions. Lewis and Clark camped near Mill Creek on October 25–27, 1805, and recorded the Indian name for the creek as Quenett. In 2006, Google began building a major data center, known locally as Project 02, along the Columbia River in The Dalles, using the area's reliable hydroelectric power and underutilized fiber optic capacity. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 72 miles to Portland, OR
To the ocean: 104 miles
Nearest airport: 68 miles to Portland (PDX) · major hub

How Columbia Gorge Community College compares

Graduation rate29%

Higher than 11% · #29 of 37 in Oregon

First-year retention52%

Higher than 12%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,440

Higher than 82% · #3 of 33 in Oregon

Average net price$10,416

Cheaper than 69% · #11 cheapest of 35 in Oregon

Median debt at graduation$19,397

Lower than 7%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment543

Larger than 64%

Percentiles compare Columbia Gorge Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Oregon.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women35465%
Men18935%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White43%
Hispanic36%
Asian0.7%
Other or multiracial20%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 543
Student–faculty ratio: 12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 29%
First-generation students: 56%
Students over 25: 30%
Median family income: $23,489
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $65,601
Endowment: $2,436,675

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $5,940
Out-of-state tuition: $10,260
Room & board: $7,341
Books & supplies: $1,500
Total cost of attendance: $18,608
Average net price: $10,416

Outcomes

Graduated: 29%
First-year retention: 52%
Transferred to another college: 16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,252
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $44,440
Median debt at graduation: $19,397
Students with federal loans: 13%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 29%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 50
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 9%
Application fee: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$10,398

$30–48k

—

$48–75k

$11,328

$75–110k

—

$110k+

—

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

5%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,572

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 5% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,572. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 109 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $44,440
Typical debt at graduation: $19,397
Debt vs. one year's pay: 44%
Out-earn a HS grad: —

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$37,114

Men

$61,726

Men out-earn women by $24,612 (66%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 89°F
Winter low: 29°F
Annual rain: 14″
Annual snow: 5.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, The Dalles, OR US station (1.3 mi from campus).

What Columbia Gorge Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

86 grads— 1 yr$53k 5 yr$12k debt

86—$53,004$12,416 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

19 grads$78k 1 yr$86k 5 yr$22k debt

19$78,167$85,693$22,417 Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and InspectionCert.

11 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

11———Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr$68k 5 yr— debt

10—$68,208—Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCert.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

9———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

5 grads— 1 yr$45k 5 yr— debt

5—$45,210—Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCert.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Columbia Gorge Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Columbia Gorge Community College side by side →

Clatsop Community College

Astoria, Oregon · Remote town · 72 mi to Portland

Students: 493
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $39k

Blue Mountain Community College

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Students: 962
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $38k

Southwestern Oregon Community College

Coos Bay, Oregon · Remote town · 74 mi to Eugene

Students: 1,270
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 23%
Earnings: $38k

Treasure Valley Community College

Ontario, Oregon · Distant town · 48 mi to Boise

Students: 1,193
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $37k

Colorado Northwestern Community College

Rangely, Colorado · Remote rural · 170 mi to Salt Lake City

Students: 504
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 32%
Earnings: $44k

Ocean County Vocational-Technical School

Toms River, New Jersey · Large suburb · 51 mi to New York

Students: 497
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $47k

Colleges near Columbia Gorge Community College

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Warner Pacific University

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Warner Pacific University Professional and Graduate Studies

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Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.