Montana · Public · Predominantly associate's

Dawson Community College

Glendive, Montana. 226 undergraduate students. 24 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.

ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at Dawson Community College

Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE-39%

Undergraduate enrollment

Undergraduate enrollment at Dawson Community College fell 39% between 2021 and 2024 (308 → 189).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+22%

In-state tuition

In-state tuition at Dawson Community College rose 21% between 2021 and 2024 ($4.1k → $5.0k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+16%

Out-of-state tuition

Out-of-state tuition at Dawson Community College rose 16% between 2021 and 2024 ($8.4k → $9.8k).

COMPLETION DROP · TRENDING WORSE-8pp

150%-time completion

150%-time completion fell 8 pp at Dawson Community College vs the 2003–2007 baseline (37.9% vs 46.1%).

SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT

The numbers, vs. Montana

Each tile compares this institution to the Montana median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$41,951+13% · 6→10y
Montana median $40,738
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$37,252
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
37.9%-2% · '97→'09
Montana median 46.1%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$5,500+260% · '97→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
226-44% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
45.0%-8% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$4,485+214% · '00→'24
out-of-state $9,135
SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS

How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry

Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS

What loans cost relative to earnings

Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.

Institution-wide

1.7%
0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $5,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $41,951 (10y after entry).

SECTION 04 · LONG ARC

Ten-plus year arc

Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.

UNDERGRAD · 19962024189
44918919962024
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 1997200943.8%
56%33%19972009
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020$9,450
$11,846$2,62519972020
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT · 19962024-44%

Dawson Community College · undergrad enrollment fell

339 → 189

IN-STATE TUITION · 20002024+214%

Dawson Community College · in-state tuition rose

$1,596 → $5,010

OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 20002024+96%

Dawson Community College · out-of-state tuition rose

$5,012 → $9,810

MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020+260%

Dawson Community College · median debt rose

$2,625 → $9,450

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 20112024-100%

Dawson Community College · cohort default rate fell

14.4% → 0.0%

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_10YR · 20072020+27%

Dawson Community College · earnings_median_10yr rose

$33,100 → $41,951

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_8YR · 20052020+21%

Dawson Community College · earnings_median_8yr rose

$28,600 → $34,533

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 20032020+55%

Dawson Community College · earnings_median_6yr rose

$24,100 → $37,252

SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS

Ranked by 5-year earnings

Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.

SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY

1 programs with earnings, grouped

Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.

LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at Dawson Community College

Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.

Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.

NET PRESENT VALUE
$142,090
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 14
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
graduationbreakeven · year 14year 0year 39
Cost per year
$12,354
HS-only baseline · MT
$35,800
Years to complete
2
CIP family
24

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

CAUSAL DISCIPLINE

Dawson Community College graduates earn $X” — not “Dawson Community College makes you earn $X”

Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Dawson Community College caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.

Methodology →