Gaston College
Public Community College in Dallas, NC. Six-year graduation rate 63%. Median 10-year earnings $35,386.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $35,386, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. 63% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ! Mobility score 0.6 — limited economic uplift documented
Academics
Six-year completion sits at 63%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. 54% first-year retention is low enough to be the defining risk of enrolling here. The part-time picture is harder: 44% return, against 54% full-time. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. This is a public community college, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,359 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $8,055 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $5,784 at $0–30k against $13,399 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 54% get grants averaging $8,760, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price.
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 · 408 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 | $5,784 |
| $30–48k | $5,579 |
| $48–75k | $8,432 |
| $75–110k | $10,952 |
| $110k+ | $13,399 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Gaston 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)