Catawba College
Salisbury, North Carolina · Private · 1,235 undergraduates · catawba.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
79%
of 3,094 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1100 to 1250
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$53,450Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Catawba College
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
79% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored, and your GPA is in the middle half of freshmen's.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$53,450
a year in 2027-28, from a $53,450 sticker price
What to do with your 1180
Send your score
About 48% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 1060, and yours is above it.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Reviews applications as they arrive, so applying early helps.
Source: First-Year Students | Catawba College · Checked October 17, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov15Early Action · November 15, 2026Apply early and hear early. Not binding.
- Feb1Regular Decision · February 1, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
79%
of applicants were admitted: 2,434 of 3,094 for fall 2025.
Early Action
Not binding. Apply by 11/15, hear by 12/15.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 17% of them sent SAT scores and 45% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1100 to 1250
Reading and Writing 550 to 640
Math 520 to 640
ACT composite 18 to 25
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 16006%
- 1200 to 139942%
- 1000 to 119937%
- 800 to 99915%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
- 4.040%
- 3.75 to 3.9917%
- 3.50 to 3.7411%
- 3.25 to 3.4913%
- 3.00 to 3.247%
- 2.50 to 2.999%
- Below 2.503%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$53,450
a year
- Tuition$37,430
- Food and housing$14,560
- Books and supplies$1,460
Catawba College published $51,390 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$11,010
- $30,001 to $48,000$14,529
- $48,001 to $75,000$11,608
- $75,001 to $110,000$19,816
- Over $110,000$23,035
Financial aid
87%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$11,308
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
24%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $23,346 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Not required. Only the FAFSA is needed.
- Aid priority date: 2/15
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
27 of 27
Earn credit with a score of 3
24 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $3,740Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 | ART 1553 |
| Art History | 3 | 3 | ART 1111 |
| Biology | 3 | 4 | BIO 1501 |
| Calculus AB | 3 | 4 | MAT 1801 |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 4 | MAT 1801 |
| Chemistry | 3 | 4 | CHEM 1501 |
| Chemistry | 5 | 8 | CHEM 1501-1502 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | |
| Computer Science A | 3 | 3 | CS 2505 |
| English Language and Composition | 3 | 3 | ENGL 1103 |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | 3 | ENGL 1114 |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 3 | ENV 1110 |
| European History | 4 | 3 | HIST 1002 |
| French Language and Culture | 3 | 3 | FREN 1001 |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 6 | FREN 1001-1002 |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | 3 | GERM 1001 |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 6 | GERM 1001 and 1002 |
| Human Geography | 3 | 3 | SOC 1202 |
| Microeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON 1902 |
| Music Aural Subscore | 3 | 1 | MUS 0001 |
| Music Theory | 3 | 3 | MUS 0001 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2522 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | 4 | PHYS 2521 |
| Pre-Calculus | 3 | 3 | MATH 1516 |
| Psychology | 3 | 3 | PSYC 1110 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | 3 | SPAN 1001 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 6 | SPAN 1001-1002 |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 | MATH 1132 |
| United States Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | POLS 1101 |
| United States History | 4 | 3 | HIST 1101 or 1102 |
| United States History | 5 | 6 | HIS 1101 and 1102 |
| World History: Modern | 4 | 3 | HIST 1002 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
48%
Come back for a second year
77%
Typical earnings
$52,260
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Catawba College$65,702
- All colleges$71,390
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 7 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Catawba College. The Catawba College logo is a trademark of the college.