Davidson College acceptance rate and admissions profile
Davidson College is a private college in North Carolina that admits about 13% of applicants, which puts it in the highly selective range. A rate like this means it turns away most applicants; 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 Davidson 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 1470, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
Will I get into Davidson College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Davidson College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Davidson College?
At Davidson College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 13% 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 Davidson College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Davidson College hard to get into?
Davidson College is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 13% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Davidson College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Davidson College, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Davidson College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for Davidson College?
Davidson College does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1470. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at Davidson College.
What Davidson College looks for
What Davidson College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Davidson College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay above the rest of the file. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Davidson 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 Davidson 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 Davidson College compares in North Carolina
Davidson College ranks #2 most selective of 38 schools in North Carolina in our database.
Among the 38 North Carolina schools we track, Davidson College ranks #2 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Duke University (6%) and University of North Carolina (15%) sit nearby, which makes North Carolina a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Davidson College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Davidson College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Georgetown University, Bates College, and Colgate University. 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 does Davidson College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Davidson College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Davidson College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Davidson 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 Davidson 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 Davidson College specifically.
What makes an application stand out at Davidson College?
Beyond strong academics, Davidson College rewards a clear, specific story: focused activities with real impact, essays in an authentic voice, and recommendations that corroborate it. Depth beats a long list of unrelated activities.
Acceptance rate and admitted test ranges reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets). Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.