Davidson, NC · Private · 1,867 undergraduates · suburban
Davidson College
Highly selective
A highly residential honor-code college combines broad Ways of Knowing with a route for students to design new interdisciplinary majors.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in career outcomes, and exceptional in academic standing.- Admission
- 14.5% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 89.9%
7,347 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$81,400 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Davidson apart
Academic design
Seven Ways of Knowing requirements expose students to historical, quantitative, scientific, social-scientific, philosophical, literary, and artistic inquiry.
Campus pattern
Every student commits to an Honor Code covering academic and community conduct.
A signature opportunity
Honor Code
Can I get in?
14.5% admitted
The strongest case shows why this structure fits a student comfortable with broad requirements, strong peer accountability, and a residential culture where institutional traditions carry real weight.
Recent applicant pool
7,347About 14 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 30% submitted an SAT, and 27% submitted an ACT. Use your score when it adds strength to the application; withhold it when it does not.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Davidson, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Davidson weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Seven Ways of Knowing requirements expose students to historical, quantitative, scientific, social-scientific, philosophical, literary, and artistic inquiry.
Make institutional fit specific
A student comfortable with broad requirements, strong peer accountability, and a residential culture where institutional traditions carry real weight.
Use the application route carefully
Keep the academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.
Give commitments a clear through-line
Activities and recommendations should show sustained contribution, not a collection of disconnected credentials.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Use the application to show a clear academic direction and a specific reason this institutional structure fits.
Fee waiver: accepted
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Davidson
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read the outcomes panel as a whole: completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together matter more than one headline number.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Biology, General
Economics
Political Science and Government
Computer Science
Research and Experimental Psychology
What is campus life like?
Davidson beyond the classroom
Every student commits to an Honor Code covering academic and community conduct. Patterson Court places fraternities and women’s eating houses near the center of campus life.
The academic structure
Seven Ways of Knowing requirements expose students to historical, quantitative, scientific, social-scientific, philosophical, literary, and artistic inquiry.
How the community is organized
Every student commits to an Honor Code covering academic and community conduct.
Daily campus life
Patterson Court places fraternities and women’s eating houses near the center of campus life.
What shapes an ordinary week
Every student commits to an Honor Code covering academic and community conduct. Patterson Court places fraternities and women’s eating houses near the center of campus life.
Use the campus beyond class
A student comfortable with broad requirements, strong peer accountability, and a residential culture where institutional traditions carry real weight.
Fit the community in practice
Academic and physical-education requirements provide less curricular openness than an open-curriculum college.