Catawba College
About
Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its current home of Salisbury in 1925. Catawba College still holds loose ties with the successor to the Reformed Church, the United Church of Christ. It offers over 70 undergraduate degrees. As of August 2024, Catawba has an endowment over $580 million.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 16.5-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 39 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 32 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing7 · 17.9%
- No Data32 · 82.1%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 2
Action history · 7
- Dec 2025Renewal of AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Dec 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused ReviewSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- May 2025Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- Feb 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jun 2022Heightened Monitoring or Focused ReviewSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 534 students received $3.2M in Pell grants, alongside $5.6M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 431 borrowers who entered repayment, 14 (3.2%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Catawba College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 12
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus5
Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Catawba College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Catawba College selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectCatawba College | 47% | — | 1,376 | $17,879 | Baccalaureate |
| 40% | 70.6% | 1,421 | $32,839 | Baccalaureate | |
| 46% | 94.2% | 1,235 | $23,626 | Baccalaureate | |
| 69% | 70.9% | 1,156 | $23,960 | Baccalaureate | |
| 51% | 56.9% | 1,041 | $22,766 | Baccalaureate | |
| 46% | 73.7% | 1,092 | $30,684 | Baccalaureate | |
| 28% | 84.9% | 1,177 | $13,649 | Baccalaureate | |
| 25% | 70.7% | 1,652 | $26,649 | Baccalaureate | |
| 31% | 85.3% | 1,277 | $23,238 | Baccalaureate | |
| 51% | 99.2% | 1,017 | $12,404 | Baccalaureate | |
| 58% | 51.3% | 836 | $12,513 | Baccalaureate | |
| 55% | 97.2% | 968 | $22,723 | Baccalaureate | |
| 35% | 84.8% | 952 | $22,051 | Baccalaureate | |
| 68% | 99.9% | 1,189 | $20,716 | Baccalaureate | |
| 61% | 79.3% | 1,109 | $21,083 | Baccalaureate | |
| 44% | 57.0% | 3,175 | $19,581 | Baccalaureate | |
| 16% | — | 1,180 | $14,271 | Baccalaureate | |
| 45% | 50.9% | 1,210 | $20,359 | Baccalaureate | |
| 44% | 61.5% | 1,233 | $24,425 | Baccalaureate | |
| 25% | 33.8% | 175 | $24,313 | Baccalaureate | |
| 22% | 80.2% | 964 | $16,512 | Baccalaureate | |
| 63% | 86.2% | 1,251 | $21,936 | Baccalaureate | |
| 52% | 76.6% | 919 | $20,449 | Baccalaureate | |
| 48% | 68.8% | 1,198 | $14,836 | Baccalaureate | |
| 63% | 49.1% | 1,090 | $19,481 | Baccalaureate | |
| 81% | 20.7% | 933 | $13,269 | Baccalaureate | |
| 48% | 71.5% | 950 | $22,347 | Baccalaureate | |
| 58% | 84.9% | 854 | $19,125 | Baccalaureate | |
| 47% | 92.4% | 1,040 | $24,153 | Baccalaureate | |
| 64% | 78.2% | 1,027 | $23,245 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 48% | 75.1% | 1,101 | $21,510 |
Institutions like Catawba College
Explore the federal data for institutions in Catawba College's comparison group.
- BaccalaureateArizona
Arizona Christian University
Grad rate40%Admit rate70.6%Enrollment1,421Net price$32,839View data - BaccalaureateNorth Carolina
Barton College
Grad rate46%Admit rate94.2%Enrollment1,235Net price$23,626View data - BaccalaureateMontana
Carroll College
Grad rate69%Admit rate70.9%Enrollment1,156Net price$23,960View data - BaccalaureateMissouri
Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Grad rate51%Admit rate56.9%Enrollment1,041Net price$22,766View data - BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Dean College
Grad rate46%Admit rate73.7%Enrollment1,092Net price$30,684View data - BaccalaureateFlorida
Edward Waters University
Grad rate28%Admit rate84.9%Enrollment1,177Net price$13,649View data - BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Fisher College
Grad rate25%Admit rate70.7%Enrollment1,652Net price$26,649View data - BaccalaureateFlorida
Florida Memorial University
Grad rate31%Admit rate85.3%Enrollment1,277Net price$23,238View data - BaccalaureateMichigan
Grace Christian University
Grad rate51%Admit rate99.2%Enrollment1,017Net price$12,404View data - BaccalaureateTexas
Hallmark University
Grad rate58%Admit rate51.3%Enrollment836Net price$12,513View data - BaccalaureateNew York
Hilbert College
Grad rate55%Admit rate97.2%Enrollment968Net price$22,723View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
Keystone College
Grad rate35%Admit rate84.8%Enrollment952Net price$22,051View data - BaccalaureateIowa
Loras College
Grad rate68%Admit rate99.9%Enrollment1,189Net price$20,716View data - BaccalaureateOhio
Marietta College
Grad rate61%Admit rate79.3%Enrollment1,109Net price$21,083View data - BaccalaureateTexas
McMurry University
Grad rate44%Admit rate57.0%Enrollment3,175Net price$19,581View data - BaccalaureateAlabama
Miles College
Grad rate16%Admit rate—Enrollment1,180Net price$14,271View data - BaccalaureateIllinois
Quincy University
Grad rate45%Admit rate50.9%Enrollment1,210Net price$20,359View data - BaccalaureateGeorgia
Reinhardt University
Grad rate44%Admit rate61.5%Enrollment1,233Net price$24,425View data - BaccalaureateNorth Carolina
Saint Augustine's University
Grad rate25%Admit rate33.8%Enrollment175Net price$24,313View data - BaccalaureateNorth Carolina
Shaw University
Grad rate22%Admit rate80.2%Enrollment964Net price$16,512View data - BaccalaureateIowa
Simpson College
Grad rate63%Admit rate86.2%Enrollment1,251Net price$21,936View data - BaccalaureateAlabama
Spring Hill College
Grad rate52%Admit rate76.6%Enrollment919Net price$20,449View data - BaccalaureateTennessee
Tennessee Wesleyan University
Grad rate48%Admit rate68.8%Enrollment1,198Net price$14,836View data - BaccalaureateIdaho
The College of Idaho
Grad rate63%Admit rate49.1%Enrollment1,090Net price$19,481View data - BaccalaureateNew York
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Grad rate81%Admit rate20.7%Enrollment933Net price$13,269View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
Thiel College
Grad rate48%Admit rate71.5%Enrollment950Net price$22,347View data - BaccalaureateIllinois
Trinity Christian College
Grad rate58%Admit rate84.9%Enrollment854Net price$19,125View data - BaccalaureateOhio
Wilmington College
Grad rate47%Admit rate92.4%Enrollment1,040Net price$24,153View data - BaccalaureateWisconsin
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Grad rate64%Admit rate78.2%Enrollment1,027Net price$23,245View data
Catawba College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Institutional Research collects, analyzes and provides data about the college used for accreditation purposes, in strategic planning, for grant support and for state and federal reporting.
Visit IR office page- Sharon SullivanVice Provost
Common Data Set
Catawba College's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Source publications
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planStrategic Plan | Catawba College2023Catawba College's strategic plan for 2023 to 2028 outlines a vision based on five strategic aims: Purposeful Calling, Investment in People, Distinctive Pursuits, Welcoming Place, and Stewardship of Resources. The plan seeks to enhance academic programs, culture, and infrastructure while optimizing recruitment and employee satisfaction. Key performance indicators include increasing student retention and graduation rates, expanding faculty development, and achieving sustainability certification milestones.catawba.edu
Grants & funding (5)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- opportunityFisher Faculty Incentive GrantCatawba Collegeinstitution_site
- opportunityHigh Impact Practices (HIPs) GrantCatawba Collegeinstitution_site
- opportunityImpact Award GrantCatawba Collegeinstitution_site
- opportunityOpen Educational Resources (OERs) GrantCatawba Collegeinstitution_site
- opportunityProfessional Development FundingCatawba Collegeinstitution_site
Frequently asked questions about Catawba College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Catawba College.
What is the graduation rate at Catawba College?
How many students attend Catawba College?
What is the average net price at Catawba College?
What is the yield rate at Catawba College?
Where is Catawba College located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Catawba College?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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