More selective than 98% of North Carolina colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $79,475. College Scorecard.
Higher than 95% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 96% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 98% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 93% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Davidson College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 7,347 applicants, Davidson College admitted 1,064 and 519 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1400–1530 on the SAT or 31–34 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Davidson College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Davidson College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Davidson College took 4.0 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in North Carolina. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,497 | $38,273 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $5,354 | $21,577 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $6,759 | $27,239 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $18,616 | $75,022 | 1.6 years |
| $110k+ | $42,346 | $170,654 | 3.6 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.0 years, the average time graduates took (89% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($81,400) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $47,884 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Davidson College majors, earnings & careers
Davidson College offers 33 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 12
- Science & Math · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Business & Finance · 1
- Education · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Davidson College
Not enough graduates in any one major to report earnings.
Quick list of all 33 majors
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biology—
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Communications—
- Computer Science—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics—
- Education—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Genetics—
- History—
- Literature—
- Mathematics—
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Charlotte
Overall prices in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,785. Housing costs 2% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 46 inches of rain a year, 3 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Mecklenburg County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Mecklenburg County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Davidson College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in North Carolina by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson College | 13% | $17,379 | 91% | $81,400 | This school |
| Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | 23% | $17,618 | 71% | $58,708 | |
| Wake Forest University | 22% | $28,719 | 89% | $78,158 | |
| Duke University | 6% | $29,612 | 97% | $97,800 | |
| Manna University | 53% | $15,210 | 80% | — |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Davidson College would cost you $239 less per year than Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Davidson College.
- Davidson College gives aided families $53,339 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, North Carolina resident | Davidson College | Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker price | $79,475 | $26,375 | +$53,100 |
| Average grants | −$62,096 | −$8,757 | −$53,339 |
| You pay | $17,379 | $17,618 | −$239 |
“+” means Davidson College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Davidson College
What is the Davidson College acceptance rate?
Davidson College accepts 13% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,064 of 7,347 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1400–1530 on the SAT or 31–34 on the ACT.
How much does Davidson College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $79,475 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $17,379 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $9,497 and families earning $110k+ pay $42,346.
How much do Davidson College graduates earn?
Former Davidson College students earn a median $81,400 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Davidson College graduation rate?
91% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 95% return for their second year.
How long does a Davidson College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Davidson College costs about $27,239 after grants ($6,759 a year for 4.0 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $81,400 ten years after starting, $47,884 more than high school graduates in North Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in under 1 year of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Davidson College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/davidson-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).