Private nonprofit · College

Livingstone College

Salisbury, North Carolina · Large suburb

59.3%
Admit rate
$13,479
Avg net price
28%
Graduation rate
$32,600
Median earnings

Livingstone College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Salisbury, North Carolina (large suburb setting), enrolling 924 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 924 undergradsLarge suburbSelective · 59% admitNCAA Division II with football · Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

About Salisbury, North Carolina

Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. In 1753 an appointed Anglo-European trustee for Rowan County was directed to enter 40 acres (16 ha) of land for a County Seat, and public buildings were erected. Salisbury has developed a strong record of historic preservation since the late 20th century. It is the site of a noted prisoner of war camp during the American Civil War and has ten National Register historic districts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
163 miles
Nearest airport
23 miles to Concord-Padgett (USA)

How Livingstone College compares

Selectivity59.3%

More selective than 77% · #13 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

Graduation rate28%

Higher than 10% · #49 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention71%

Higher than 32%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$32,600

Higher than 4% · #55 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$13,479

Cheaper than 79% · #11 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$31,125

Lower than 3%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment924

Larger than 35%

Percentiles compare Livingstone 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

Undergraduate vs. graduate

936students
  • Undergraduate92499%
  • Graduate121%

Undergraduates by gender

924undergrads
  • Women45449%
  • Men47051%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White2.1%
  • Black87%
  • Hispanic0.5%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
924
Graduate enrollment
12
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
82%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$20,000
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$51,588
Endowment
$7,331,400

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 269 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From North Carolina49%
  • Other U.S. states48%
  • International2.6%

A regional draw: about 49% of first-years come from North Carolina, the rest from elsewhere.

3% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
59.3%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$18,296
Room & board
$6,794
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$28,305
Average net price
$13,479

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)
28%
Graduated on time (4 years)
18%
First-year retention
71%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$24,024
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$32,600
Median debt at graduation
$31,125
Students with federal loans
78%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
9%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
18%
Low-income (Pell)
24%
First-generation
21%

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
880
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
95%
Housing charge (year)
$3,262
Meal plan (year)
$3,531
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
253 (159 men · 94 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 (8)

Football84
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)66
Basketball39
Softball22
Volleyball22
Golf7
Bowling7
Tennis6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (936 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.

2.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.0
Rape
0.3
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
$13,860
$30–48k
$14,056
$48–75k
$11,028
$75–110k
$14,558
$110k+
$16,018

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
$50,356

$11,028/year × about 4.6 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.

93%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,453
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 93% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,453. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 201 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)
$32,600
Typical debt at graduation
$31,125
Debt vs. one year's pay
95%
Out-earn a HS grad
28%

Typical debt would take roughly 9.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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
$29,664
Men
$34,034

Men out-earn women by $4,370 (15%) 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
88°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
43.7″
Annual snow
2.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Salisbury, NC US station (0.9 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 Livingstone College

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

Colleges near Livingstone 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.