Public · Community college
Gaston College
Dallas, North Carolina · Midsize suburb
- 12%
- Transfer rate
- $6,592
- Avg net price
- 63%
- Grad / completion
- $35,386
- Median earnings
Gaston College is a public certificate-granting institution in Dallas, North Carolina (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 3,518 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Dallas, North Carolina
Dallas is a town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, and a suburb of Charlotte, located north of Gastonia. Dallas was officially incorporated in 1863 and is the oldest incorporated town in Gaston County. It served as the original county seat for Gaston County from 1846 until 1911. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 20 miles to Charlotte, NC
- To the ocean
- 172 miles
- Nearest airport
- 15 miles to Charlotte Douglas (CLT) · major hub
How Gaston College compares
Higher than 53% · #21 of 90 in North Carolina
Higher than 15%
Higher than 50% · #22 of 84 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 84% · #36 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina
Lower than 44%
Larger than 88%
Percentiles compare Gaston 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 North Carolina.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,38868%
- Men1,13032%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White51%
- Black20%
- Hispanic12%
- Asian1.0%
- Other or multiracial16%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,518
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 26%
- First-generation students
- 48%
- Students over 25
- 23%
- Median family income
- $19,769
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $57,222
- Endowment
- $6,165,423
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $3,186
- Out-of-state tuition
- $9,330
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,470
- Total cost of attendance
- $16,866
- Average net price
- $6,592
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
- 63%
- First-year retention
- 54%
- Transferred to another college
- 12%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,988
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $35,386
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 85 (52 men · 33 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
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (6,443 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.
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: 20% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,921. 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 441 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)
- $35,386
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 37%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
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 $11,640 (36%) 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
- 91°F
- Winter low
- 31°F
- Annual rain
- 44″
- Annual snow
- 1.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Gastonia, NC US station (4 mi from campus).
What Gaston 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 Gaston College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Gaston College side by side →
Alamance Community College
Graham, North Carolina · Midsize suburb · 24 mi to Greensboro
- Students
- 3,080
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $34k
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Salisbury, North Carolina · Large suburb · 34 mi to Winston-Salem
- Students
- 4,164
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $35k
Central Carolina Community College
Sanford, North Carolina · Distant town · 35 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 3,237
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $34k
Pitt Community College
Winterville, North Carolina · Midsize suburb · 71 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 5,317
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $37k
Davidson-Davie Community College
Thomasville, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 17 mi to Winston-Salem
- Students
- 2,633
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $36k
Mitchell Community College
Statesville, North Carolina · Fringe town · 39 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 1,948
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $33k
Colleges near Gaston College
Belmont Abbey College
Belmont, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,276 students
Carolinas College of Health Sciences
Charlotte, NC · Public · Certificate · 533 students
Cleveland Community College
Shelby, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,097 students
Chamberlain University-North Carolina
Charlotte, NC · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 202 students
Johnson C Smith University
Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,244 students
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private nonprofit · Associate · 1,184 students
Southeastern College-Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 252 students
Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NC · Public · Associate · 15,067 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.













