Catawba College
Salisbury, NC · Private · Large suburb
Private institution in Salisbury, NC · 1,127 undergraduates · 78% acceptance rate · $48,793 median earnings 10 years after entry.
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $18,210916th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $33,4001,440th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $33,4001,377th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $47,8661,424th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $25,0001,246th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $48,7931,143rd highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,9121,425th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 52.1%1,075th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 73.5%1,055th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 77.7%838th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1136565th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 22605th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,1271,297th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 12.0:1794th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 39.4%735th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 42 mi (CLT)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 15
- RDFeb 1
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 33 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $46,478 | $48,198 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $35,213 | $34,259 |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $29,685 | $26,739 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | $28,212 | $33,993 |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $27,494 | $26,121 |
| SociologySocial Sciences | bachelors | $21,508 | — |
| MusicVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $15,922 | $22,482 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | — | — |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media ManagementVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1851source
- Athletic nickname: "Indians"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- Motto: "Sit Lux"source
- Religious affiliation: United Church of Christsource
- Football rivalry: Catawba vs. Lenoir–Rhyne{{cite web |title=Lenoir–Rhyne Football History vs Catawba |url=https://lrbears.com/sports/football/opponent-history/catawba-college/29 |website=Lenoir–Rhyne University Athletics}} (since 1907)source
- Notable alum: Matthew Shepardsource
Athletics — 12 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $6,607,017 (M $3,806,626 · W $2,800,391)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Beach Volleyball
- Football
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websitecatawba.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 198215)
- Compare colleges in NCRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in North CarolinaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Catawba College vs North Carolina Wesleyan UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 12 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.