Dawson College is an English-language public college in Westmount and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The college is situated near the heart of Downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on approximately 12 acres (5 ha) of green space. It is the largest CEGEP in the province of Quebec, with a student population of approximately 8,000 day students and 3,000 evening students enrolled in more than 30 fields of study.

In September 1945, McGill University established a satellite campus called Sir William Dawson College at the Royal Canadian Air Force base in St. Johns (now Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu), Quebec. This first incarnation of the college was set up to handle the overflow registration of servicemen after the Second World War. Populated mainly by engineering and science students who were required to live onsite, the college operated for five years. It was named after Sir William Dawson, a principal of McGill University from 1855 to 1893.

After the General Vocational College Act came into effect in June 1967, Dawson College became the first English-language institution in the new CEGEP network. It opened its doors in September 1969 to 1,655 students. The college was originally housed in a converted pharmaceutical factory at 350 Selby Street in Westmount. In 1970, a second campus, used mostly for Creative Arts programs, was opened on Viger Street just to the north of Old Montreal. During the next few years, additional spaces were rented across the city such as 4333 Ste. Catherine St. W. (Data Processing, Continuing Education), the Show Mart at Berri (gym), Dome Theatre on Notre Dame St., the Richelieu Building at 990 du Couvent and the La Fontaine building on Sherbrooke Street East. Finally, in 1975, the Victoria Campus was added at 485 McGill St.

In August 1982, the college signed an agreement to acquire the Mother House of the Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame in order to unify its fourteen separate locations. The campus opened in 1988, and consolidation happened in 1997 when the Selby Campus was closed.^{[citation needed]}

In August 2010, because of an increase in CEGEP enrollments, the college was faced again with a lack of space. The fourth floor of the Pepsi Forum on Atwater Street was leased, allowing for the addition of new classrooms. The P Wing is equipped with six classrooms for regular day DEC students and one classroom and a computer laboratory for AEC students. A security office and student lounge were also added. In 2011, an additional 4 rooms were added to the 4th floor for general study. In 2018, Dawson leased additional space on the Forum 2nd floor, adding general classrooms, active learning rooms and 4 labs for the college Physiotherapy Technology Program.

In 2020, the college was awarded the gold rating for leadership in sustainability by The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). The college's initiatives include, among other things, a pledge to carbon neutrality, rooftop gardens, certificate programs in Sustainable Happiness, and a student-led initiative to compost waste.

The CEGEP offers two types of programs: pre-university and career/technical. Pre-university programs take two years to complete and cover subject matter that roughly corresponds to the additional year of high school given elsewhere in Canada, as well as university-level introductory courses that prepare students for their chosen field in university. Technical programs take three years to complete and allow graduates to enter the workforce or to pursue their studies at a university level.

Evening courses are offered through continuing education in both credit and non-credit divisions. Corporate training is available as well.