Davidson College

Quick Stats

209 Ridge Road
Davidson, NC 28035: [map]

Phone: (704) 894-2000

2011-2012 Tuition

$38,866: tuition and fees

Students

1,742: enrolled

50%: male /

50%: female

Admissions

Jan. 2: application deadline

29.5%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#11	National Liberal Arts Colleges

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Summary

Davidson College is a private institution that was founded in 1837. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,742, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 665 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Davidson College's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 11. Its tuition and fees are $38,866 (2011-12).

Davidson College is located in Davidson, N.C., 19 miles north of Charlotte. With nearly 150 student organizations on campus, there are a variety of ways for students to get involved. In addition to clubs and organization, students can also join one of the school’s nine national fraternities, four eating houses, or one sorority on campus. The Davidson Wildcats field more than 20 NCAA Division I teams, participating in the Southern Conference for most sports. Davidson’s men’s basketball team has competed in numerous NCAA tournaments. Freshmen are required to live on campus in the four first-year student residence halls. More than 95 percent of students choose to live on campus in residence halls, apartments, co-op living/learning houses, and international houses.

Davidson offers 20 undergraduate majors. In 2007, Davidson became the nation’s first liberal arts college to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages with its initiative called The Davidson Trust, giving all students the chance to graduate free of debt. The school has many traditions, including the Freshmen Cake Race—started in 1934—which consists of a 1.7 mile race for freshmen, with the winners receiving freshly baked cakes. Notable alumni include former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow; Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Charles Wright; and crime writer Patricia Cornwell. Former President Woodrow Wilson attended Davidson but did not graduate.

School mission (as provided by the school):

An award-winning faculty, exceptional student profile, competitive Division I athletics, top national academic rankings, vital honor code, and nationally-recognized alumni network (61 percent annual fund participation) place Davidson among the nation's leading liberal arts colleges. Close contact with professors brings an unusually high number of students into graduate-level research and publishing. Nearly 70 percent of students study abroad for credit. Need-blind admissions attract a diversity of more than 1,700 students from 46 states and Washington, D.C., and 36 countries. Located in a picturesque college town in the temperate piedmont region near metropolitan Charlotte, N.C. Visit www.davidson.edu.

General Information

School type	private, coed college
Year founded	1837
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian Church (USA)
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	suburban
2010 Endowment	$431,200,863

Applying

When applying to Davidson College, it's important to note the application deadline is January 2, and the early decision deadline is November 15. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due January 2. The application fee at Davidson College is $50. It is most selective, with an acceptance rate of 29.5 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	most selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	29%
Application deadline	January 2
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	January 2

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Davidson College is 10:1, and the school has 70.0 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Davidson College include: English Language and Literature, General; Political Science and Government, General; History, General; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; and Economics, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 96.2 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

10:1

4-year graduation rate

89% - High

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

English Language and Literature, General	14%
Political Science and Government, General	13%
History, General	10%
Biology/Biological Sciences, General	9%
Economics, General	9%

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Student Life

Davidson College has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,742, with a gender distribution of 50.1 percent male students and 49.9 percent female students. 91.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 9.0 percent of students live off campus. Davidson College is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Davidson College.

Total enrollment	1,742
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

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Campus Info & Services

Davidson College offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, health service, and health insurance. Davidson College also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Davidson College.

Students who have cars on campus	N/A
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Davidson College, 42.4 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $24,873.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$38,866 (2011-12)
Room and board	$10,857 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

Davidson is small liberal arts college, a gem in the Carolina area. Because of it's size, it's easy to recognize anyone on campus, and people say hello all the time. My favorite thing about Davidson is that the college makes sure every student gets a quality experience. Professors invite their students to their homes and are always available for help, there are organizations for almost any interest, studying abroad is very popular junior year, flickerball teams are a special part of the freshman experience, athletes work just as hard as everyone else, and there are opportunities to join eating houses and frats though they are non-exclusive and not the focus of campus life. The honor code allows for freedom to have self-scheduled exams, take home tests, and trust in fellow students. The small town atmosphere caters to the students with a coffee shop, CVS, book store, and a couple quaint eating spots. The townies love to support the college. Davidson is small, with its ups and downs. Small means a close-knit community, but also it's hard to remain anonymous at times. Students complain about the lack of dating culture, and instead a hook-up scene, but that seems to be the case at most colleges. It's funny that many Davidson grads end up marrying each other. The administration is amazing. They are always looking to move the college forward, and always get the student's input on how to make the campus it's best. The trustees proved their generosity to students by paying for any student to go to watch the basketball team play in the Sweet 16 in Detroit. The one experience I will always remember was being in the stands at the Sweet 16 cheering on our basketball team. We got 500 students to go, and the school spirit took over. We cheered so loud, the whole stadium was asking "Who are these Davidson people?" It was a great day to be a wildcat. The unusual thing about Davidson is that even though it is small, it competes with the best in academics, athletics, and quality of life. It is in the South, but attracts well-rounded people from all over the US and from foreign countries. It embodies the saying, "the best things come in small packages."

Emily Sophomore

the best thing about Davidson are the people and the amazing opportunities that are brought to the school in terms of lectures, performances, concerts. I would change attitudes about work, some people are perfectionists and tend to freak out very easily about the work load. It could also be helpful to encourage more students to be more open with their professors about how they are handling the work load and suggesting ways to help. Davidson is small, but if that's what you're looking for it's just right. Usually people from California don't know anything about Davidson and they ask if I mean U. of California at Davis. But as the years have gone by and Davidson is more recognizable nationwide, people are excited to hear me talk about Davidson and are interested in how I am enjoying it, especially what I'll be doing after graduation. I spend most of my time in the student union, my eating house, Chambers and my dormitory. Davidson the town is very much connected to the college. There are some cute restaurants, a public library, clothing stores and even a museum of wooden gnomes. But it's by no means a college town because most of the college "action" takes place on campus. The students and the people of the town of Davidson however have always had a great relationship, especially this year during the basketball season! the administration is fantastic. the biggest recent controversy was addressed by a rally where people talked about "differences" and diversity on campus and how the student body reacts to differences. there is a lot of school pride, but many students don't seem to realize that they belong at Davidson and sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amazing things their peers are accomplishing, not understanding that they themselves are also special. We have a great community of students but sometimes the pressure gets to us and it seems to effect our perception of ourselves. It is unusual how much Davidson students attend to their work on the weekends, but it's also a great skill to be able to balance work and social activities. I will always remember Odyssey from Freshman year, all of my freshman hallmates and activities, and Dance Ensemble. Frequently, students complain about word load and the dating culture: you are either in a serious relationship (headed toward marriage) or single and hooking up with people.

Lauren Senior

I will always be proud to tell people I went to Davidson, even when all this attention from basketball is over and people go back to being unfamiliar with my school. It's a wonderful community, the honor code is taken very seriously and the professors really care about you. My personal story of why I came to Davidson is also pretty interesting: When I was making my decision, a family friend traveled back to Davidson for his class reuinion. Having graduated with the former president of the college, this man told President Vaught about me and my college dilemma. A few days later, President Vaught called me at home! And when I wasn't there, he called again! He asked if I had any questions and if there was any way he could help me make my decision. I knew then and there that Davidson was the place for me if even the college president was willing to go out of his way for one single student.

Christina Senior

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* Overview details based on 2010 data

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