Davidson College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
New York, North Carolina · Private nonprofit · Moderately selective · CDS 2024-2025
Davidson College is a private nonprofit university in New York, North Carolina that admits about 64% of applicants, making it a moderately selective school. The average family pays about $47,560 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Biology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 2.5 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Davidson College is a private institution located in New York, North Carolina with a moderately selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Davidson College admits about half to three-quarters of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 64%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT around 1410. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $47,560 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Davidson College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Davidson College?
Davidson College admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Davidson College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 660–760, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 28–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | — |
| 50th percentile | 1410 |
| 75th percentile | — |
| 25th percentile | 28 |
| 50th percentile | — |
| 75th percentile | 33 |
- • Test-blind: Davidson College does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions, even if submitted.
- • Policy detail: Not Considered
How much does Davidson College actually cost?
Published tuition is $49,900 for in-state students and $49,900 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $15,000 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $47,560 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 14% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| Average net price (after aid) | $47,560 |
| Application fee | $1 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Davidson College
| Regular deadline | 2/1 |
| Notification date | - |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
Will my child graduate from Davidson College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Davidson College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Davidson College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Biology, General. Across all programs, Davidson College confers roughly 429 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business Administration, Management and Operations program report a median income of about $89,936 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 94 | $89,936 |
| Psychology, General | 78 | $61,343 |
| Biology, General | 75 | $78,878 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 62 | $106,840 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 39 | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 31 | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 27 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 23 | — |
Is Davidson College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Davidson College disclosed 7 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.5 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 2 violent offenses and 1 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in North Carolina parents ask about
- Duke University19% acceptance
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill40% acceptance
- Wake Forest University88% acceptance
- North Carolina State University at Raleigh29% acceptance
- Appalachian State University7% acceptance
- East Carolina University94% acceptance
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte74% acceptance
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro80% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Davidson College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Davidson College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Davidson College
What GPA do I need for Davidson College?
Davidson College admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum.
What SAT or ACT score does Davidson College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 660–760, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 28–33.
How much does Davidson College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Davidson College after grants and scholarships is $47,560 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Davidson College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Davidson College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Davidson College?
Davidson College accepts about 64% of applicants out of roughly 1,442 who apply each year. That makes it a moderately selective school.
Is Davidson College test-optional?
Davidson College is test-blind: it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions, even if you submit them.
Is Davidson College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Davidson College is a private nonprofit institution located in New York, North Carolina.
What are the most popular majors at Davidson College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Davidson College by annual graduates are Business Administration, Management and Operations, Psychology, General and Biology, General. The school awards about 429 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Davidson College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Davidson College reported 7 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 2.5 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Davidson College, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.