🎓 College profile

Davidson College

NC · Private nonprofit · Large suburb · 7,347 applicants 2023

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Reach

Highly selective reach for nearly every applicant. Affordable on average — net price runs around $17,379/yr.

✅ Best for

  • Strong academic profile (SAT 1360–1510 · ACT 31–34 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
  • Students drawn to Social Sciences or Biological & Biomedical Sciences (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1360, or ACT below 31, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
  • With selective universities, build a balanced college list of Reaches, Targets, and Safeties ⓘ

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
Total enrollment
1,867
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$64,410
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$64,410
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
14.5%
Highly selective
SAT middle 50%
1360–1510
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
31–34
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$81,400
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$62,866
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$81,400
4-year completion
91%
Median debt (completers)
$18,688
Cost of attendance
$79,475
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
18%

💰 True ROI

11.7× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$69,516
$17,379/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$248,384
vs sticker $317,900
10-yr earnings total
$814,000
$81,400/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
0.9 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Davidson College, the average net price is $17,379/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$9,497/yr
Family income $30-48k
$5,354/yr
Family income $48-75k
$6,759/yr
Family income $75-110k
$18,616/yr
Family income $110k+
$42,346/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Davidson College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Davidson College →

Opens on Davidson College's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Davidson College

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Davidson College actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Social Sciences
136 degrees · 39.9%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
2. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
78 degrees · 22.9%
Typical career outcomes
Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.
3. Psychology
49 degrees · 14.4%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Computer & Information Sciences
48 degrees · 14.1%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.
5. Physical Sciences
30 degrees · 8.8%
Typical career outcomes
Chemist $85k Physicist $147k Geoscientist $93k Materials Scientist $100k
Chemistry, physics, geology — strong wages especially in industry roles.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Davidson College

CS degrees (annual)
48
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Davidson College vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Davidson College

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Davidson College doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 auto-merit scholarships on file
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
23 auto-merit scholarships on file
Mississippi State University
MS · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of South Carolina-Columbia
SC · Public
11 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Davidson College.
CUNY Brooklyn College
NY · Public
$12,254/yr for $110k+ families ($30,092 less)
CUNY Hunter College
NY · Public
$12,259/yr for $110k+ families ($30,087 less)
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
NY · Public
$12,314/yr for $110k+ families ($30,032 less)
CUNY City College
NY · Public
$12,806/yr for $110k+ families ($29,540 less)
University of Florida-Online
FL · Public
$12,923/yr for $110k+ families ($29,423 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
University of North Carolina Asheville
NC · Public
94% admit rate (vs 14% here)
University of North Carolina Wilmington
NC · Public
74% admit rate (vs 14% here)
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
NC · Public
40% admit rate (vs 14% here)

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