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University or college · Private nonprofit

Catawba College

Salisbury, NC187 online only

Catawba College is a private nonprofit college in Salisbury, NC, with about 1,054 students on campus.

Visit www.catawba.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
1,054
plus 187 studying only online
Admission rate
75%
lower than at 55% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$17,879
lower than at 60% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
47%
lower than at 66% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$48,793
higher than at 69% of U.S. colleges
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Catawba College?

75%

of applicants admitted

About 15 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
520–650
SAT math
510–650
ACT
17–25

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1096.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $49,516 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $34,300Room & board $13,565Books & supplies $1,400

After grants, the average family on aid pays $17,879.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$15,412

About $61,648 over 4 years · 69% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
47%
within 6 years · Pell students 39%
Come back for year two
77%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$48,793
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$25,000
about $265 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

8.6%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$265 a month against about $3,076 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

58%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 72% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$45k
Middle income$30–75k
$50k
Higher incomeover $75k
$53k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Business 23%Parks, recreation & fitness 18%Education 13%Biology 9%Natural resources 8%Visual & performing arts 6%Everything else 23%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Business Administration, Management and Operations49 graduates a year · typical debt $23,250
$61k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness40 graduates a year · typical debt $25,000
$44k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods28 graduates a year · typical debt $19,000
$49k4 yrs out
Natural Resources Conservation and Research18 graduates a year · typical debt $22,268
$43k4 yrs out
Biology, General17 graduates a year · typical debt $25,863
$53k4 yrs out
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions16 graduates a year
—not reported
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing11 graduates a year · typical debt $25,000
—not reported
Communication and Media Studies9 graduates a year · typical debt $24,625
$48k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

1,235 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 54%Hispanic 10%Black 21%Asian 1%Two or more 4%International 7%

Women and men

Women 52%Men 48%
13 : 1
students per teacher
41%
get Pell grants (lower income)
53%
take federal loans
10%
undergrads 25 or older
7%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Salisbury

9% of Salisbury’s 36,879 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Salisbury pages.

Salisbury →
SalisburySalisbury, NC
$1,071/momedian rent · 13% below the state$281Ktypical home valueD−Safety Grade29° / 89°January low / July high · 2" of snowC−Health GradeAll colleges in and near SalisburyCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Catawba College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Livingstone CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Salisbury
1.4 mi814 students
Rowan-Cabarrus Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Salisbury · mostly online
3.6 mi3,353 students
Pfeiffer UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Misenheimer
18.2 mi755 students
Cabarrus College of Health SciencesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Concord
18.6 mi597 students
Davidson-Davie Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Thomasville
20.7 mi2,579 students
Mitchell Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Statesville
23.9 mi1,989 students
Davidson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Davidson
24.2 mi1,904 students
Stanly Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Albemarle · mostly online
28 mi858 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.