1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Davidson College Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Davidson College NC · Small private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #461 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/davidson-college/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/davidson-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/davidson-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/davidson-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/davidson-college/similar/) ## [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Davidson College #461 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. ### Who it’s a good fit for Davidson College is a private nonprofit university in Davidson, North Carolina, where the degree mix is led by Social Sciences and Biological Sciences. Return is above average, and the strongest of the four pillars. Graduates earn above the median at comparable institutions, and most are estimated to go into work rather than further study. The four-year earnings figure counts only graduates who are not enrolled. What the lowest-income families pay is well below the published cost, while the highest-income families pay much closer to it. Access is around the average. The admission rate is well below the median for comparable institutions. The degree mix is led by the social and biological sciences. ## Davidson College at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 13.4% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 91.1% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $72,718 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $6,759 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $18,688 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $52,622 ## Davidson College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Davidson College is a private nonprofit university in Davidson, North Carolina, enrolling 1,867 undergraduates. The college's composite standing among nonprofit four-year institutions is in the upper-middle of the field (69th percentile). The college accepts 13.4% of applicants, against a median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Of the first-year class, 94.6% return for a second year, against a peer median of 74.2%. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/), which tracks only first-time, full-time students, is 91.1%, against a peer median of 54.9% for comparable institutions. Because an estimated 2.4% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, the rate covers nearly the entire student body. At Davidson College, return is the strongest of the four pillars at the 73rd percentile, while access is the weakest at the 51st percentile. Mobility and affordability fall between them, at the 61st and 60th percentiles. The four pillars sit relatively close together, with no extreme outlier among them. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Davidson College's return pillar at the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, making it the strongest of the four. Access is the weakest, at the 51st percentile. Mobility and affordability sit between the two, at the 61st and 60th percentiles respectively. The profile is one of strong earnings outcomes alongside a more constrained access picture. [How value-added outcomes are assessed](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) · [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Davidson College rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #461 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 61 **Access & reach** National percentile: 51 **[Affordability](/school/davidson-college/cost/)** National percentile: 60 **[Return on investment](/school/davidson-college/outcomes/)** National percentile: 73 01 / Davidson College briefing ## [Davidson College cost & financial aid](/school/davidson-college/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) Davidson College lists a published cost of attendance of $79,475, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $64,410, and room and board are $17,100. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $17,379, which is $4,968 below the $22,347 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That net price places the university in the 60th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 78% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $62,096 against the sticker price. The published cost of attendance is $79,475 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks Davidson College #573 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $9,497, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $6,759, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $42,346. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $32,849. Aid covers about 78% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price for all aid recipients to $17,379. That is $4,968 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $18,688 in federal student loans, $6,312 below the $25,000 peer median. About 73.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the separate [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a median of $52,622. If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $212 a month. Your family income Choose a household income range to see estimated net price. $0–30K$30–48K$48–75K$75–110K$110K+ Reported average annual net price · $48–75K**$6,759** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Davidson College At Davidson College, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $72,718 four years after completion. This sits $16,803 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places that figure at the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, run from $48,799 on the downside to $87,077 on the upside, with a typical outcome of $72,718. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $18,688 in federal loans, $6,312 below the peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $212 a month. Earnings sit above the peer median and debt sits below the peer median. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $52,622. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $212 a month if repaid over ten years. [How Financial GPS measures payment burden](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) · [The four risk-and-reward zones](/analysis/4-zones-of-college-risk-and-reward/) Financial GPS ### What does repayment look like? **Institution median student debt** $18,688 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $52,622 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $212/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $669/mo Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s. Payment assumptions Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. [Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=davidson-college#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/davidson-college/cost/) 02 / Davidson College briefing ## [Davidson College career outcomes & earnings](/school/davidson-college/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Azimuth places the return pillar for Davidson College in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $72,718. That is $16,803 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That median sits in the 80th percentile nationally. Four years after graduating, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $72,718. That is $16,803 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and Azimuth places the figure in the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort is 249 completers. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a range: a typical scenario of $72,718, a downside scenario of $48,799, and an upside scenario of $87,077. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates. An estimated 42.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The four-year earnings measure captures only those working and not enrolled, so graduates in further study are not reflected in the median. Graduates of Davidson College who are working and not enrolled four years after completing a degree earn a median of $72,718. That figure is at the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That median sits $16,803 above the $55,915 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size). For return, [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the college #392 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Degrees cluster heavily in the social sciences, alongside biological sciences and psychology. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $48,799 on the downside to $87,077 on the upside. An estimated 42.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show how much the field of study can shift the outcome. The typical earnings scenario is $72,718, with a downside of $48,799 and an upside of $87,077. These are earnings scenarios, not observed groups of graduates. The range from the downside to the upside is wide, reflecting the mix of programs at Davidson College. The published cost of attendance is $79,475 (an average across living arrangements). Aid covers about 78% of that for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price to $17,379. That average is $4,968 below the peer median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $18,688 in federal student loans. That is $6,312 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions. If repaid over ten years, the debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $212 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $52,622 in Parent PLUS loans. [Read the full outcomes brief](/school/davidson-college/outcomes/) 03 / Davidson College briefing ## [Davidson College acceptance rate & admissions](/school/davidson-college/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Davidson College admits 13.4% of applicants. The median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size) sits far above the college's rate. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the college reported 8,932 first-year applicants, 1,127 admitted, and 531 enrolled. SAT: reported composite scores **Admission rate** 13.4% **25th percentile** 1410 **Median** 1460 **75th percentile** 1500 CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff. [Read the full admissions brief](/school/davidson-college/admissions/) 04 / Davidson College briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Davidson College?](/school/davidson-college/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) Outcomes vary by field, and the page for each program carries the detail. At Davidson College, the three largest program families are Social Sciences at 30.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded, Biological Sciences at 11.2%, and Psychology at 11.0%. Program earnings cover federally aided completers. Social Sciences accounts for 30.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Biological Sciences at 11.2% and Psychology at 11.0%. The college lacks nationally ranked programs in the current Azimuth snapshot, so program-level earnings comparisons are absent. The degree mix at Davidson College is anchored by the social sciences. Social Sciences accounts for 30.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Biological Sciences next at 11.2% and Psychology at 11.0%. The family shares carry the picture. The concentration in social sciences and psychology is the signature of the degree mix. The largest share of degrees is in Social Sciences. The three largest program families account for 30.7%, 11.2%, and 11.0% of degrees awarded. [Read the full majors brief](/school/davidson-college/majors/) 05 / Davidson College briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Davidson College?](/school/davidson-college/similar/)[\[15\]](#hub-data-note-peers) Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. [How matching works](/school/davidson-college/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Davidson College. Admissions peerWake Forest University21.7% admitted+ Comparison with Davidson College | Measure | Davidson College | Wake Forest University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $72,718 | $92,943+$20,225 vs Davidson College | | Average annual net price | $17,379 | $28,719+$11,340 vs Davidson College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 13.4% | 21.7% | [Explore Wake Forest University →](/school/wake-forest-university/) Higher-admission alternativeQueens University of Charlotte62.1% admitted+ Comparison with Davidson College | Measure | Davidson College | Queens University of Charlotte | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $72,718 | $70,176\-$2,542 vs Davidson College | | Average annual net price | $17,379 | $30,857+$13,478 vs Davidson College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 13.4% | 62.1% | Nearby alternativeFurman UniversityNearby option · SC+ Comparison with Davidson College | Measure | Davidson College | Furman University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $72,718 | $64,492\-$8,226 vs Davidson College | | Average annual net price | $17,379 | $30,308+$12,929 vs Davidson College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 13.4% | 43.0% | Higher-earnings alternativeHarvard University$134,794 earnings+ Comparison with Davidson College | Measure | Davidson College | Harvard University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $72,718 | $134,794+$62,076 vs Davidson College | | Average annual net price | $17,379 | $19,066+$1,687 vs Davidson College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 13.4% | 3.7% | [Explore Harvard University →](/school/harvard-university/) Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Queens College$4,195 average net price+ Comparison with Davidson College | Measure | Davidson College | CUNY Queens College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $72,718 | $68,713\-$4,005 vs Davidson College | | Average annual net price | $17,379 | $4,195\-$13,184 vs Davidson College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 13.4% | 64.4% | [Explore CUNY Queens College →](/school/cuny-queens-college/) Similar profileMarymount UniversityMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Davidson College | Measure | Davidson College | Marymount University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $72,718 | $74,242+$1,524 vs Davidson College | | Average annual net price | $17,379 | $29,137+$11,758 vs Davidson College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 13.4% | 93.2% | Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable. [Read the full similar schools brief](/school/davidson-college/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 28, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 28, 2026 Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection. Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them. Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects. Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the [U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **Six-year completion.** First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree. Source fields: `C150_4` 3. **Four-year institutional earnings.** Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion. Source fields: `MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` 4. **Median federal student debt.** Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students. Source fields: `GRAD_DEBT_MDN` 5. **National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks.** Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **Annual net price by family income.** Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers. Source fields: `NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV` 7. **Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration.** Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **Downside and upside earnings; yellow band.** The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **Value added and its components.** Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **SAT score range and reported midpoint.** Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots.** Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group.** This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns. Source fields: `1 − PFTFTUG1_EF` 15. **Peer earnings and signed differences.** Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure. Source fields: `Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)