Dakota County
Technical College
Public Community College in Rosemount, MN. Six-year graduation rate 58%. Median 10-year earnings $51,938.
Students who entered Dakota County Technical College land at a median of $51,938 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. 58% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates leave owing a median of $11,000 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.21 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
58% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 74% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. The part-time picture is harder: 56% return, against 74% full-time. A 23:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,083 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $12,935 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $9,549 while those at $110k+ pay $18,089. 60% of students receive grant aid, averaging $5,193 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing reaches 32% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 390 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,549 |
| $30–48k | $9,835 |
| $48–75k | $12,371 |
| $75–110k | $14,517 |
| $110k+ | $18,089 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 671 of these 2,083 students, totalling $4,102,390 — an average of $6,114 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Dakota County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)