Livingstone College

Livingstone College is a moderately selective private nonprofit college in Salisbury, North Carolina. It admits about 1 in 2 applicants, graduates 28% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $32,600 ten years after starting college, more than 2% of the North Carolina colleges we cover.

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Acceptance rate
59%

More selective than 75% of North Carolina colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$13,479 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $28,305. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
28%

Higher than 11% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 11% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$32,600

Higher than 2% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 3% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

Livingstone College acceptance rate & admissions

Of 4,748 applicants, Livingstone College admitted 3,518 and 269 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).

4,748
Applied
3,518
Admitted
269
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

First-year students who return71%
Pell Grant recipients82%
First-generation students39%
Women / men42% / 58%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

Livingstone 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)

Tuition & fees$18,296
Housing & meals, on campus$6,794
Books & supplies$1,300
Total cost of attendance$28,305

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$26,000
Loan default rate30.6%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What Livingstone College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Livingstone College took 4.5 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 incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$13,860$62,093no earnings gain
$30–48k$14,056$62,971no earnings gain
$48–75k$11,028$49,405no earnings gain
$75–110k$14,558$65,220no earnings gain
$110k+$16,018$71,761no earnings gain

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (14% 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 ($32,600) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024). 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.

Best-value colleges in North Carolina for your income →

Livingstone College majors, earnings & careers

Livingstone College offers 18 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
  • Humanities & Languages · 4
  • Business & Finance · 2
  • Education · 2
  • Science & Math · 2
  • Arts & Design · 1
  • Health & Medicine · 1
  • Technology & Computing · 1

Highest-earning majors at Livingstone College

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Social Work$46,945—
Kinesiology / Exercise Science$41,765$35,000
Computer and Information Sciences$41,458—
Business Administration$40,328$33,000
Biology$40,017$34,594
Liberal Arts / General Studies$38,155$35,225
Criminal Justice$35,015$35,375
Quick list of all 18 majors
  • Biology$40,017
  • Business Administration$40,328
  • Computer and Information Sciences$41,458
  • Criminal Justice$35,015
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
  • Education (Subject Teaching)—
  • English—
  • History—
  • Hospitality Management—
  • Kinesiology / Exercise Science$41,765
  • Liberal Arts / General Studies$38,155
  • Mathematics—
  • Music—
  • Political Science—
  • Psychology—
  • Religious Studies—
  • Social Work$46,945
  • Sociology—

— 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 →

Business Administration → Management analyst

$102,920
Charlotte
$98,560
North Carolina
$101,860
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Criminal Justice → Police officer

$63,190
Charlotte
$59,300
North Carolina
$76,210
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Charlotte

Cost of living
3% below the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$1,012/mo

2 bedrooms $1,262. Housing costs 2% below the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
50° / 88°

January and July average highs. 44 inches of rain a year, 2 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively Moderate

No hazard rated high.

FEMA National Risk Index, Rowan County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)814
First-year students from North Carolina49%
Next most common home statesFlorida, Georgia, California
AthleticsNCAA Division II with football · 8 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-2499% bachelor's · 1% associate
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyBlack 87% · Two or more 5% · White 2% · Hispanic 1%International 5%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Rowan County at a glance

Population149,875
Median household income$65,725
Adults with a bachelor's degree23%
Median age40

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare Livingstone 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.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Livingstone College59%$13,47928%$32,600This school
Chowan University69%$14,08630%$38,412
Mid-Atlantic Christian University62%$18,32821%$38,342
Bennett College51%$28,29925%$36,654
Johnson C Smith University45%$20,89434%$42,680

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Livingstone College would cost you $607 less per year than Chowan University, on average.

  • Lower sticker price at Livingstone College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$9,614).
  • Chowan University gives aided families $10,115 more in grants, on average.
Per year, North Carolina residentLivingstone CollegeChowan UniversityDifference
Tuition & fees$18,296$27,910−$9,614
Books & supplies$1,300$1,200+$100
Housing & meals$6,794$9,710−$2,916
Personal & travel$2,000$1,560+$440
Living-at-home adjustment−$85−$1,353+$1,268
Sticker price$28,305$39,027−$10,722
Average grants−$14,826−$24,941+$10,115
You pay$13,479$14,086−$607

“+” means Livingstone 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 Livingstone College

What is the Livingstone College acceptance rate?

Livingstone College accepts 59% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,518 of 4,748 applicants were admitted.

How much does Livingstone College cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,305 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $13,479 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $13,860 and families earning $110k+ pay $16,018.

How much do Livingstone College graduates earn?

Former Livingstone College students earn a median $32,600 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the Livingstone College graduation rate?

28% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 71% return for their second year.

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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: “Livingstone College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/livingstone-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).