Located in downtown Montreal, Dawson College occupies the former Maison-mère des soeurs de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame—the mother house of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame—which is a beautiful piece of early-20th-century architecture. With approximately 8,000 students in day programs, and a few thousand more in continuing education, Dawson College is the largest English-language CEGEP in Quebec, and has both pre-university and technical programs. There are 27 programs of study in the day division.

Dawson’s sports teams, all known as the Blues, compete in basketball, volleyball, hockey, soccer and rugby. Its women’s Division 1 basketball team were provincial champions in 2019. The college has several student clubs, many funded by the student union. The student newspaper—the Plant—is the largest CEGEP newspaper in Quebec.