$48,793
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Catawba College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Salisbury, North Carolina with 1,235 undergraduates and 114 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $17,879 a year (tuition and fees $34,300). It admits 75% of applicants and 47% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $48,793 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $25,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$17,879
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$34,300
US median $11,837
Admission rate
75%
US median 78%
Completion rate
47%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$25,000
About $265 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$48,793
Rank 1,579 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $17,879
- Tuition and fees
- $34,300
- Cost of attendance
- $49,516
- Students with a need-based grant
- 41%
- Students with federal loans
- 53%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $13,618
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $17,495
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,412
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $17,440
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $24,420
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $28,730 in 2015-16 to $34,300 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 75%
- Average SAT
- 1,096
- SAT reading, middle
- 535
- SAT math, middle
- 535
- ACT, middle
- 22
- Undergraduates
- 1,235
- Graduate students
- 114
- Part-time students
- 7.1%
- Women
- 52%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 47%
- Retention rate
- 77%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 41
- Endowment
- $386.3M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,579 of 5,094 US colleges and 23 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $17,879 | $14,086 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $34,300 | $6,906 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 75% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 47% | 48% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 77% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $25,000 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $36,912 | $31,569 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $48,793 | $36,048 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 58% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 62% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
41 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 49 | $23,250 | $46,068 | $60,718 | $68,257 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | $25,000 | $27,305 | $44,296 | $54,562 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $19,000 | $38,071 | $48,982 | $47,382 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $22,268 | $27,389 | $42,505 | $55,012 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | $25,863 | Withheld | $52,583 | $57,214 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,792 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessMaster's | Master's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | $25,000 | $70,522 | Withheld | $88,910 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | $24,625 | $32,323 | $48,181 | $56,359 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,378 |
| Special Education and TeachingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,499 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $92,374 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,194 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,466 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $82,686 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,657 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,775 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | $27,000 | $23,577 | $39,633 | $42,892 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Salisbury and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Catawba College cost?
$17,879 a year is the average net price at Catawba College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $34,300, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $49,516. Families earning under $30,000 pay $13,618 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Catawba College?
75% of applicants are admitted to Catawba College. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,096 and the middle ACT score is 22. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do Catawba College graduates earn?
$48,793 a year is the median pay of former Catawba College students who work, 10 years after they started ($36,912 after 6 years). That ranks 1,579 of 5,094 US colleges and 23 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $70,522.
How much student debt do Catawba College graduates have?
$25,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Catawba College graduates, about $265 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 53% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Catawba College?
47% of first-time, full-time students at Catawba College finish within 6 years. 77% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Catawba College?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (49 bachelor's graduates), Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness (40 bachelor's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (28 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 41 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.