68% of Dakota County Technical College students earn more than a typical U.S. high-school graduate (about $28,000/yr) ten years after starting — measured from IRS tax records, not surveys.
Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.
Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.
By gender
Women
$42,877
Men
$60,383
29% gap between the two groups
By family-income background
From lower-income families
$46,081
From higher-income families
$59,005
22% gap between the two groups
By student status (FAFSA)
Dependent students
$52,808
Independent students
$51,614
2% gap between the two groups
31%
First-generation students
25%
Take federal student loans
94%
Born in the U.S.
Who studies here
White 63%Hispanic 15%Asian 3%Black 11%Other 8%
Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.
Net price by family income
What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.
Family income
Average net price / yr
Family income $0–$30k
$9,549
$30k–$48k
$9,835
$48k–$75k
$12,371
$75k–$110k
$14,517
$110k+
$18,089
How Dakota County Technical College compares
This college against the Minnesota and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.
Graduate earnings over time
Median earnings of Dakota County Technical College students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.
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Best-paying majors at Dakota County Technical College
Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.
Degree Return is an independent informational service. ROI figures are estimates based on past student cohorts; individual earnings vary widely. This is not financial, legal, or admissions advice. We never compute ROI where federal data is missing.
Degree Return is an independent project and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education, NCES, any college, or any government agency. Source data is public domain.
Data as of 2024 · sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.