Private nonprofit · College

Davidson College

Davidson, North Carolina · Large suburb

#2 most selective in North Carolina#3 for grad earnings in North Carolina#3 graduation rate in North Carolina
13.4%
Admit rate
$17,379
Avg net price
91%
Graduation rate
$81,400
Median earnings

Davidson College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Davidson, North Carolina (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,867 undergraduates. It has a Presbyterian Church (USA) religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,867 undergradsLarge suburbHighly selective · 13% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Pioneer Football LeagueCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Davidson College's admitted students.

Admit rate
13.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1400–1530
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Davidson College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Davidson College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Davidson, North Carolina

Davidson is a suburban town in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, North Carolina, United States. John Davidson, described as "a prosperous Ulster merchant", was a member of the Davidson family who migrated south from Pennsylvania. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To the ocean
167 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Concord-Padgett (USA)

How Davidson College compares

Selectivity13.4%

More selective than 97% · #2 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average1469

Higher than 94%

Graduation rate91%

Higher than 96% · #3 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention95%

Higher than 93%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$81,400

Higher than 92% · #3 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$17,379

Cheaper than 62% · #21 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$18,688

Lower than 82%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment1,867

Larger than 55%

Percentiles compare Davidson College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,867undergrads
  • Women86146%
  • Men1,00654%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black6.9%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian5.3%
  • Other or multiracial16%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,867
Student–faculty ratio
8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
18%
First-generation students
16%
Students over 25
0%
Median family income
$80,076
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$117,297
Endowment
$1,374,503,853

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
13.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1400–1530
SAT average
1469
SAT reading
695–750
SAT math
705–780
ACT composite
31–34
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$64,410
Room & board
$17,100
Books & supplies
$825
Total cost of attendance
$79,475
Average net price
$17,379

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
91%
Graduated on time (4 years)
86%
First-year retention
95%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$62,866
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$81,400
Median debt at graduation
$18,688
Students with federal loans
9%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
83%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
86%
Low-income (Pell)
89%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,788
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
96%
Housing charge (year)
$8,200
Meal plan (year)
$8,200
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Pioneer Football League
Varsity athletes
605 (347 men · 258 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)189
Football100
Soccer58
Swimming and Diving (combined)46
Baseball40
Lacrosse37
Basketball32
Wrestling29
Field Hockey25
Tennis24
Volleyball15
Golf10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
25
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,869 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

9.7reported offenses a year
8.3 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.7
Fondling
3.7
Burglary
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,497
$30–48k
$5,354
$48–75k
$6,759
$75–110k
$18,616
$110k+
$42,346

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$27,642

$6,759/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

65%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$47,295
average award, among those who get one

Davidson College discounts heavily: 65% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $47,295. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 542 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$81,400
Typical debt at graduation
$18,688
Debt vs. one year's pay
23%
Out-earn a HS grad
79%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$75,257
Men
$88,946

Men out-earn women by $13,689 (18%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
92°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
47.9″
Annual snow
3.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Concord, NC US station (15.9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Davidson College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Davidson College side by side →

Colleges near Davidson College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.