Executive Summary

Students invest their own money and time in their education to pay for tuition, books, and supplies. Dallas College is an investment for the average Dallas College student earning an associate degree; this study shows that Dallas College generates a positive return on that investment for its students. Results are calculated based on data across a five-year period, FY 2015-16 to FY 2019-20, alumni employment outcomes, industry and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Esmi Burning Glass' impact model. Key findings are below:

• There is a total of $26,705 in present value costs for the average Dallas College’s associate degree student. In return, this student will receive a present value of $145,991 in increased earnings over their working lives.
• The benefit-cost ratio is 5.5, meaning that for every $1,000 students invest in their associate degree at Dallas College, they will receive $5,500 in higher future earnings. The corresponding annual rate of return for associate degree students’ educational investment is 20.3%.
• In addition, associate degree students at Dallas College see, on average, a payback period of 7.2 years, indicating that 7.2 years after students’ initial educational investment of foregone earnings and out-of-pocket costs, they will have received enough higher future earnings to fully recover all costs.

Click the link at the top to view the report pdf.

Accessibility

Dallas College is committed to ensuring accessibility of its digital technology and electronic documents. Should you experience any difficulty in accessing information on this webpage, please contact Navi Dhaliwal at ResearchInstitute@DallasCollege.edu.