Davidson College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
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.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Davidson College?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Davidson College admitted 29.1% of Early Decision applicants (358 of 1,232), against about 10% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 12.6%.
Source: Davidson College Common Data Set 2025-26, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 30, 2026.
Davidson College supplemental essays, 2026-27
What do students study at Davidson 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 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.
Your chances at Davidson College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Davidson College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 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 Davidson College with a 3.9 GPA and a 1470 SAT?
About 24% (Reach), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 1470 SAT, the middle of Davidson College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 4.0 GPA with a 1530 SAT comes out near 28%. 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/davidson-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Davidson College
From Davidson College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set (fall 2025 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Davidson College?
29.1%. Davidson College admitted 358 of 1,232 Early Decision applicants for fall 2025, against 12.6% of all 8,933 first-year applicants (Davidson College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Davidson College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 29.1% versus about 10% for everyone who applied another way, 2.9x the rate, and Early Decision filled 31.8% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Davidson College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
How many students get off the waitlist at Davidson College?
28 for fall 2025. Davidson College offered 1,968 applicants a waitlist spot, 953 accepted one, and 28 were admitted from it: 2.9% of those who stayed on (Davidson College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Davidson College?
18.4%: 28 of 152 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (Davidson College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Source: Davidson College Common Data Set 2025-26. Read from the document twice independently; only matching figures are shown. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Davidson College
Built from Davidson 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 Davidson College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Davidson College carries about a 3.86 core GPA and a 1480 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. At this selectivity that is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor.
The admitted middle 50% is 1400 to 1530 SAT (31 to 34 ACT). Submit a score at 1465 or higher; below 1400, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Davidson College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Davidson College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Davidson College's exact dates at davidson.edu.
How many students apply to Davidson College, and how many get in?
7,347 students applied to Davidson College for fall 2023; 1,064 were admitted (14.5%). 519 enrolled. Roughly 49% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. Davidson College enrolls about 1,867 undergraduates in total, 53% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Davidson College?
Admitted students at Davidson College post SAT scores of 1400 to 1530 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1469. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 31 to 34. A score above 1530 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1400 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Davidson 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 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 much does Davidson College cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Davidson College (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $79,475 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $64,410. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $17,379 a year, and it ranges from $9,497 for families earning under $30,000 to $42,346 for families earning over $110,000. 18% 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 Davidson College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Davidson College students ten years after entry are $81,400 ($62,866 at the six-year mark). 91% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 95% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $18,688; 9% 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 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 is Davidson College's acceptance rate?
Davidson College admitted 1,064 of 7,347 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 14.5% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 49% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Davidson College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1400 to 1530 on the SAT and 31 to 34 on the ACT. A score above 1530 is in the top quarter of admits. Davidson College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Davidson College test-optional?
Yes. Davidson 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 Davidson College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Davidson College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $17,379 a year against a sticker price of about $79,475. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $9,497 on average.
What do Davidson College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Davidson College are $81,400 a year among students who received federal aid, and 91% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
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, 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.