Catawba College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Catawba College is a private college in North Carolina that admits most qualified applicants (around 75%), which puts it in the moderately selective range. A rate like this means it admits more applicants than it rejects; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Catawba College weighs, where it ranks among North Carolina schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1150, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Catawba College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Catawba College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Catawba College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Catawba College?
At Catawba College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 75% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Catawba College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Catawba College hard to get into?
Catawba College is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 75% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Catawba College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Catawba College, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. Catawba College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Catawba College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Catawba College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Catawba College with a 3.1 GPA and a 1170 SAT?
About 96% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1170 SAT, the middle of Catawba College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1300 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/catawba-college.
How to get into Catawba College
Built from Catawba College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Catawba College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Catawba College carries about a 3.18 core GPA and a 1250 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1030 to 1300 SAT (17 to 25 ACT). Submit a score at 1165 or higher; below 1030, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Catawba College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Catawba College's exact dates at www.catawba.edu.
How many students apply to Catawba College, and how many get in?
2,547 students applied to Catawba College for fall 2023; 1,979 were admitted (77.7%). 308 enrolled. Only about 16% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Catawba College enrolls about 1,235 undergraduates in total, 52% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 13 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Catawba College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Catawba College scored between 1030 and 1300 on the SAT (average 1096). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 17 to 25. A score above 1300 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1030 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Catawba College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Catawba College looks for
What Catawba College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Catawba College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Catawba College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Catawba College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Catawba College cost after financial aid?
Catawba College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $49,516 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $34,300. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $17,879 a year, and it ranges from $13,618 for families earning under $30,000 to $24,420 for families earning over $110,000. 41% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Catawba College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Catawba College student who received federal aid earns $48,793 a year, up from $36,912 at six years. 47% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 77% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $25,000; 53% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Catawba College compares in North Carolina
Catawba College ranks #19 most selective of 38 schools in North Carolina in our database.
Among the 38 North Carolina schools we track, Catawba College ranks #19 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Duke University (6%) and Davidson College (13%) sit nearby, which makes North Carolina a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Catawba College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Catawba College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: High Point University, Saint Louis University, and University of Detroit Mercy. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Catawba College's acceptance rate?
Catawba College admitted 1,979 of 2,547 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 77.7% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 16% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Catawba College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1030 to 1300 on the SAT and 17 to 25 on the ACT. A score above 1300 is in the top quarter of admits. Catawba College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Catawba College test-optional?
Yes. Catawba College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Catawba College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Catawba College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $17,879 a year against a sticker price of about $49,516. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $13,618 on average.
What do Catawba College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Catawba College are $48,793 a year among students who received federal aid, and 47% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Catawba College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Catawba College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Catawba College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Catawba College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Catawba College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Catawba College specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.