Public · College
Dalton State College
Dalton, Georgia · Small city
- —
- Admit rate
- $5,012
- Avg net price
- 25%
- Graduation rate
- $40,251
- Median earnings
Dalton State College is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Dalton, Georgia (small city setting), enrolling 4,553 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
About Dalton, Georgia
Dalton is a city and the county seat of Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. Woodland Indians and Creek Nation initially held the area of present-day Dalton, Georgia. The first recorded white man in the area was Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto (1540). The Creative Arts Guild is the oldest multidisciplinary community arts center in Georgia. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 26 miles to Chattanooga, TN
- To the ocean
- 284 miles
- Nearest airport
- 21 miles to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)
How Dalton State College compares
Higher than 9% · #44 of 54 in Georgia
Higher than 33%
Higher than 15% · #40 of 54 in Georgia
Cheaper than 98% · #1 cheapest of 54 in Georgia
Lower than 94%
Lower than 8%
Larger than 76%
Percentiles compare Dalton State College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Georgia.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,72560%
- Men1,82840%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White50%
- Black4.4%
- Hispanic39%
- Asian1.6%
- Other or multiracial5.7%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 4,553
- Student–faculty ratio
- 21 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 50%
- First-generation students
- 51%
- Students over 25
- 17%
- Median family income
- $31,184
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $68,130
- Endowment
- $20,529,474
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,088 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Georgia99%
- Other U.S. states0.9%
Most first-years stay in state — Dalton State College draws overwhelmingly from Georgia.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $3,336
- Out-of-state tuition
- $10,656
- Room & board
- $10,419
- Books & supplies
- $1,250
- Total cost of attendance
- $12,719
- Average net price
- $5,012
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 25%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 8%
- First-year retention
- 71%
- Transferred to another college
- 31%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $37,491
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $40,251
- Median debt at graduation
- $12,937
- Students with federal loans
- 14%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 39%
About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 365
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 8%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,700
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,536
- Application fee
- $30
- Athletics
- NAIA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 111 (48 men · 63 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (5)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 12
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (5,135 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
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.
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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$6,042/year × about 5.0 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 3% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,407. 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 764 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)
- $40,251
- Typical debt at graduation
- $12,937
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 32%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 47%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $8,944 (24%) 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
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 31°F
- Annual rain
- 57.5″
- Annual snow
- 0.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dalton, GA US station (6.6 mi from campus).
What Dalton State College graduates study — and earn
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 Dalton State College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Dalton State College side by side →
Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
Portales, New Mexico · Remote town · 95 mi to Lubbock
- Students
- 3,357
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $5k
- SAT
- 964
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $39k
Indiana University-Northwest
Gary, Indiana · Large suburb · 27 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 2,661
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $5k
- SAT
- 1055
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $43k
Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana · Fringe rural · 70 mi to Lafayette
- Students
- 5,632
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $7k
- SAT
- 1022
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $42k
CUNY Medgar Evers College
Brooklyn, New York · Large city · 4 mi to New York
- Students
- 3,233
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $6k
- SAT
- 920
- GPA
- 2.7
- Earnings
- $46k
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City, North Carolina · Distant town · 40 mi to Norfolk
- Students
- 1,975
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $6k
- SAT
- 1019
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $40k
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, North Carolina · Midsize city · 51 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 5,762
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $8k
- SAT
- 959
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $40k
Colleges near Dalton State College
Dalton Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology
Dalton, GA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 47 students
Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,773 students
Academy of Allied Health Careers
Chattanooga, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 194 students
Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN · Private for-profit · Associate · 4,462 students
Richmont Graduate University
Chattanooga, TN · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Covenant College
Lookout Mountain, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 939 students
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN · Public · Bachelor's · 10,074 students
Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga, TN · Public · Associate · 5,284 students
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.












