Davidson College
Davidson College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Davidson College Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Small Colleges in North Carolina 2026
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in North Carolina
- #2 Best Christian Colleges in North Carolina 2026
- #3 Best Private Colleges in North Carolina 2026
- #4 Best Christian Liberal Arts 2026
- #5 Best Colleges in North Carolina
- #5 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #9 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #13 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #16 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Majors
- #20 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #20 Math Liberal Arts Colleges
- #21 Sociology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #21 Physics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #21 Computer Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #22 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #23 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #23 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #23 English Liberal Arts Colleges
- #23 Chemistry Liberal Arts Colleges
- #23 Philosophy Liberal Arts Colleges
- #29 Best Christian Colleges 2026
About Davidson College
According to Wikipedia, Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan's Ford.
Davidson College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,347 | 13% | 95% | 90% | 1465 | 32 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Davidson College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $69,315 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $3,629 |
| 30K - 48K | $684 |
| 48K - 75K | $9,504 |
| 75K - 110K | $14,107 |
| 110K+ | $40,868 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Davidson College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Davidson College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $89,297 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Davidson College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 2,080 | 2,080 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Davidson College?
Davidson College is located at 405 N. Main Street, Davidson, NC 28035.
How Safe is Davidson College?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, Davidson College publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Davidson College has a violent crime rate of 0.37% and a property crime rate of 0.05%. Davidson has a violent crime rate of 0.04% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 0.45%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Davidson College Known For?
Davidson College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Literature
- History
- Political Science
- Economics
- Education
- Physics
- Anthropology
- Computer Science
- Communications
- Biology
- Philosophy
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
Davidson College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Davidson College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Davidson College ranks #153 in the U.S. and #425 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesDavidson College ranks #200 in the U.S. and #577 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesDavidson College ranks #201 in the U.S. and #777 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesDavidson College ranks #230 in the U.S. and #1132 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesDavidson College ranks #262 in the U.S. and #1057 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesDavidson College ranks #286 in the U.S. and #1246 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesDavidson College ranks #322 in the U.S. and #980 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesDavidson College ranks #332 in the U.S. and #1447 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesDavidson College ranks #338 in the U.S. and #1227 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesDavidson College ranks #341 in the U.S. and #1381 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesDavidson College ranks #343 in the U.S. and #1130 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesDavidson College ranks #362 in the U.S. and #1502 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesDavidson College ranks #383 in the U.S. and #1975 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesDavidson College ranks #434 in the U.S. and #1100 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesDavidson College ranks #460 in the U.S. and #2009 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesDavidson College ranks #501 in the U.S. and #1724 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesWho Are Davidson College's Most Influential Alumni?
Davidson College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Literature, and History. Here are some of Davidson College's most famous alumni:
- William Styron
- An American novelist and essayist.
- Graham Allison
- An American political scientist .
- Woodrow Wilson
- A President of the United States from 1913 to 1921.
- Tony Snow
- An American White House Press Secretary .
- Stephen Curry
- An American basketball player .
- Vince Foster
- An American lawyer .
- Patricia Cornwell
- An American novelist, journalist, biographer.
- Thomas Marshburn
- An American physician and NASA astronaut.
- Michael R. Taylor
- An American Deputy Commissioner for Foods.
- Anthony Foxx
- A 17th United States Secretary of Transportation.
- William R. Ferris
- An American writer and scholar.
- Michael Munger
- An Economist.
