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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 33 miles to Winston-Salem, NC
- To the ocean
- 163 miles
- Nearest airport
- 23 miles to Concord-Padgett (USA)
How Livingstone College compares
More selective than 77% · #13 most selective of 53 in North Carolina
Higher than 10% · #49 of 56 in North Carolina
Higher than 32%
Higher than 4% · #55 of 57 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 79% · #11 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina
Lower than 3%
Lower than 42%
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
- Undergraduate92499%
- Graduate121%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Salisbury, NC US station (0.9 mi from campus).
What Livingstone College graduates study — and earn
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 →
Stillman College
Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Midsize city · 50 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 706
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $35k
Tougaloo College
Tougaloo, Mississippi · Midsize city · 7 mi to Jackson
- Students
- 639
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $35k
Rust College
Holly Springs, Mississippi · Distant town · 43 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 467
- Admission
- 49%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $32k
Chowan University
Murfreesboro, North Carolina · Remote rural · 53 mi to Norfolk
- Students
- 603
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $38k
Allen University
Columbia, South Carolina · Midsize city · 1 mi to Columbia
- Students
- 576
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $11k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $30k
Hallmark University
San Antonio, Texas · Large city · 12 mi to San Antonio
- Students
- 769
- Admission
- 51%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $40k
Colleges near Livingstone College
Catawba College
Salisbury, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,235 students
Hood Theological Seminary
Salisbury, NC · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Salisbury, NC · Public · Certificate · 4,164 students
Pfeiffer University
Misenheimer, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 655 students
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
Concord, NC · Private nonprofit · Associate · 712 students
Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology
Mooresville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 18 students
Universal Technical Institute-Mooresville
Mooresville, NC · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,345 students
Davidson-Davie Community College
Thomasville, NC · Public · Certificate · 2,633 students
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.











