Overview of Catawba College

Situated in the city of Salisbury, North Carolina, Catawba College is a small private liberal arts college that also offers several Popular pre-professional programs. The college has a 12 to 1 student/faculty ratio, and students can choose from over 40 disciplines of study. Popular degree options for undergraduates include business, education, music, history, and sociology. Catawba offers an excellent educational value — the vast majority of students receive institutional grant aid. Students can join several organizations and clubs, ranging from honor societies to performing arts groups to academic clubs. The Catawba Indians play in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Conference. Popular sports include football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and Track & Field.

Enrollment                                                                                                              

• Total Enrollment: 1,330 (1,325 undergraduates)
• Gender Breakdown: 47% Male/53% Female
• 95% Full-time

Cost of Attendance Information

• Tuition and Fees: $30,520
• Books: $1,400
• Room and Board: $10,488
• Other Expenses: $3,434
• Total Cost: $45,842

Financial Aid Information

• Percentage of Students Receiving Aid: 100%
• Percentage of Students Receiving Types of Aid
  • Grants: 100%
  • Loans: 67%
• Mean Amount of Aid
  • Grants: $22,133
  • Loans: $6,482

Academic Programs Offered

• Most Popular Degree options: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Education; Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies; Visual and Performing Arts; and Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Retention and Graduation

• First-Year Student Retention (full-time students): 83%
• Transfer-out Rate: 31%
• 4-Year Graduation Rate: 40%
• 6-Year Graduation Rate: 46%

NCAA Athletic Programs

• Men’s Sports: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Track and Field
• Women’s Sports: Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Volleyball

Overview of Catawba College Admissions

With an acceptance rate of just 52%, Catawba is a somewhat selective institution. The institution is test-optional, meaning that students can choose whether or not to submit scores from the SAT or ACT. However, this only applies to students who complete an extra-curricular resume and have a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher. A persuasive essay and glowing recommendation letters can bolster your application, along with being involved with student organizations and attempting a challenging course load. Students with unique talents and accomplishments can still receive strong consideration even if their GPAs are outside of the admissions offices mean range. After applying, students will receive a message from an admissions counselor about the next steps of the application process. Interested students should check out the university’s website, which has helpful tips and contact information for the admissions offices.

Admissions Data

• Catawba College Acceptance Rate: 52%
• Test Scores — 25th/75th Percentile
  • SAT Critical Reading: 460/580
  • SAT Math: 450/560
  • SAT Writing: -/-
  • ACT Cumulative: 18/24
  • ACT English: 17/24
  • ACT Math: 18/24

Safety Net Schools: Easy to Gain Admission

If past admission data predicts that you would be a competitive candidate for Catawba College, then it should be easy for you to gain admissions to the schools below. If Catawba College is currently out of your reach, then you are sure to be a competitive candidate for the schools below.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, California State University Fresno, California State University Stanislaus, California State University Bakersfield, California State University East Bay, Kean University, California State University Los Angeles

Same Tier: Just As Hard to Gain Admission

If you’re a competitive candidate for Catawba College, then you should have an equal chance of gaining admissions at these schools.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, La Salle University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, University of Texas at El Paso, University of California, Merced, California State University Sacramento, Texas A&M University – Kingsville

Reach Institutions: Gaining Admissions Will Be More of a Challenge

These schools are more challenging to gain admission into than Catawba College. If you improve your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, then you’ll be a competitive candidate for these schools.

Ohio University, University of Alabama, Pace University, University of North Texas, California State University Long Beach, Florida Gulf Coast University, Washington State University

Applying to Catawba College

Application Deadline: Rolling

Undergraduate Admissions Website: https://catawba.edu/admissions/undergraduate/

Undergraduate Application Link(s): https://catawba.edu/admissions/apply/

Graduate Admissions Website: https://catawba.edu/admissions/graduate/

Graduate Application Link(s): https://catawba.edu/admissions/graduate/applying/how/