Public Bachelor's Strong 75/100

Dalton State College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Dalton, Georgia

About Dalton State College

Thinking about Dalton State College, a college in Georgia where more students graduate in Health than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Dalton State College is a public institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Dalton, Georgia. It enrolls 4,553 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
—
Graduation
28.6%
Net Price
$5,012
Median Earnings (10yr)
$40,251
Enrollment
4,553
Student : Faculty
20:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Open / Online), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Strong
75/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes 39
Value 89
Affordability 76
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Dalton State College does not report an acceptance rate. Schools that do not publish one are usually open-admission, but confirm with the admissions office before you assume it.

Acceptance Rate
—
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $5,012 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$5,012
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
50%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
14%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$3,336
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$10,656
Room & Board (on-campus)
$10,419
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,255
Books & Supplies
$1,250
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,270
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,377
Total Cost of Attendance
$12,719

Application fee: $30 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $3,962
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $3,788
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $6,042
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $8,114
  • Over $110,000
    $10,055

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$1,750
10% percentile
$3,276
25% percentile
$12,937
Median percentile
$17,640
75% percentile
$31,696
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $8,050 ↓ $4,887
No Pell $6,000 ↓ $6,937
Dependent students $6,281 ↓ $6,656
Independent students $11,339 ↓ $1,598
Female students $7,830 ↓ $5,107
Male students $6,501 ↓ $6,436
Pell recipients: 17.5% (2,264 students)No Pell: 13.0% (1,687 students)Dependent students: 13.7% (1,766 students)Independent students: 24.6% (3,189 students)Female students: 17.0% (2,202 students)Male students: 14.1% (1,828 students)Overall Median$12,937
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,139, less than completers ($12,937), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

29% of students who start here finish within six years, and 66% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
29%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
66%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $40,251 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$40,251
Earning > $25K
68%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$37,000$38,000$39,000$40,000$40,5006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$31,300

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$41,400

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$32,100

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$36,300

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$43,000

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,100, about 24% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 17.8 pts across 6 years
59.4%1yr65.6%3yr68.6%5yr77.3%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 77% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 4,553 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 51% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
4,553
Part-Time
37%
First-Generation
51%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 49.5% 2,255
Hispanic 38.7% 1,763
Black 4.4% 201
Other 2.6% 116
Asian 1.6% 73
International 1.3% 60
White: 49.5% (2,255 students)Hispanic: 38.7% (1,763 students)Black: 4.4% (201 students)Other: 2.6% (116 students)Asian: 1.6% (73 students)International: 1.3% (60 students)Total4,553

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Dalton State College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Small City Dalton, Georgia
Housing
Limited on-campus housing 365 beds
Adult Learners
17% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Dalton State College offers a varied set of programs: 31 distinct programs across 17 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

7 Programs
5 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 20 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
20:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$3,748
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$20M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$75,030
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

139 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 53 38% $83,999
Associate Professors 37 27% $72,536
Assistant Professors 38 27% $68,318
Instructors 1 1% —
Lecturers 10 7% $62,222

Pros & Cons of Dalton State College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Dalton State College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution
Best for: Based on the data, Dalton State College is a fit for families focused on keeping net cost low.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dalton State College

The questions families ask most about Dalton State College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

How much does Dalton State College cost?
Budget around $5,012 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Dalton State College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $40,251 a year against a net price of $5,012, about 8.0 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Dalton State College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Dalton State College graduates earn?
About $40,251 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Dalton State College accredited?
Yes. Dalton State College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Dalton State College?
4,553 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Dalton State College?
29% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Dalton State College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Dalton State College located?
Dalton State College is located in Dalton, Georgia.
What programs does Dalton State College offer?
31 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Dalton State College?
20 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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