Public · Community college

Dawson Community College

Glendive, Montana · Remote town

#3 for grad earnings in Montana

40%
Transfer rate: $9,931
Avg net price: 45%
Grad / completion: $41,951
Median earnings

Dawson Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Glendive, Montana (remote town setting), enrolling 189 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 189 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Glendive, Montana

Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Sir George Gore, a wealthy Irish "sportsman", named the local tributary to the Yellowstone River in his favorite hunting area "Glendive" in 1855. Gore killed 105 bears, 2000 buffalos and 1600 elk and deer over 11 months. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 187 miles to Bismarck, ND
To Great Lakes shore: 595 miles
Nearest airport: 5 miles to Dawson Community (GDV)

How Dawson Community College compares

Graduation rate45%

Higher than 32% · #7 of 17 in Montana

First-year retention54%

Higher than 15%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,951

Higher than 76% · #3 of 15 in Montana

Average net price$9,931

Cheaper than 70% · #9 cheapest of 17 in Montana

Median debt at graduation$9,450

Lower than 64%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment189

Larger than 43%

Percentiles compare Dawson 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 Montana.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women11159%
Men7841%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White59%
Black5.8%
Hispanic6.3%
Other or multiracial29%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 189
Student–faculty ratio: 13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 24%
First-generation students: 35%
Students over 25: 6%
Median family income: $37,109
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $57,582
Endowment: $5,623,234

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 105 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Montana48%
Other U.S. states38%
International14%

A national draw — only 45% of first-years come from Montana; 36% arrive from other states.

13% came from outside the U.S. 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: $5,010
Out-of-state tuition: $9,810
Room & board: $8,600
Books & supplies: $270
Total cost of attendance: $16,105
Average net price: $9,931

Outcomes

Graduated: 45%
First-year retention: 54%
Transferred to another college: 40%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,252
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $41,951
Median debt at graduation: $9,450
Students with federal loans: 18%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 55%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 230
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 100%+
Housing charge (year): $4,200
Meal plan (year): $4,200
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes: 176 (82 men · 94 women)

Varsity sports (6)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)56

Basketball38

Baseball27

Softball24

Volleyball17

Rodeo14

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 1

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.3reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft

0.3

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.

< $30k

$8,162

$30–48k

$6,157

$48–75k

$9,970

$75–110k

$12,438

$110k+

$16,105

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.

69%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$6,621

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 69% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,621. 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 100 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): $41,951
Typical debt at graduation: $9,450
Debt vs. one year's pay: 23%
Out-earn a HS grad: 46%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 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

$36,413

Men

$46,999

Men out-earn women by $10,586 (29%) 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: 88°F
Winter low: 9°F
Annual rain: 14.9″
Annual snow: 22.6″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Glendive, MT US station (1.5 mi from campus).

What Dawson Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

66 grads$26k 1 yr$42k 5 yr$11k debt

66$25,631$41,857$11,000 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Precision Metal WorkingAssoc.

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Agricultural and Domestic Animal ServicesAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Animal SciencesCert.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Animal SciencesAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Human Resources Management and ServicesCert.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———

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 Dawson Community College

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

Miles Community College

Public

Miles City, Montana · Remote town · 135 mi to Billings

Students: 332
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $43k

Helena College University of Montana

Public

Helena, Montana · Small city · 96 mi to Missoula

Students: 585
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $41k

Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology

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Students: 171
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $42k

TCAT Athens

Public

Athens, Tennessee · Distant town · 47 mi to Chattanooga

Students: 205
Tuition: —
Transfer: 4%
Earnings: $41k

Mt. Diablo Adult Education-Mt. Diablo USD

Public

Concord, California · Large suburb · 25 mi to San Francisco

Students: 172
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $40k

Great Falls College Montana State University

Public

Great Falls, Montana · Small city · 135 mi to Missoula

Students: 894
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $38k

Colleges near Dawson Community College

Miles Community College

Miles City, MT · Public · Associate · 332 students

70 mi

Fort Peck Community College

Poplar, MT · Public · Associate · 282 students

74 mi

Williston State College

Williston, ND · Public · Associate · 651 students

90 mi

Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND · Public · Bachelor's · 1,090 students

92 mi

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.