Admissions Factors
What Davidson Looks For
Davidson rates 3 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
How Davidson rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Important
Considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
12.6%
1,127 of 8,932 applicants
Early decision admit rate
29.1%
Early decision admits equal 67% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
2.9%
28 of 953 who stayed on it
Enrolled first-years had an average high school GPA of 3.85. 80% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Davidson look for in applicants?
Davidson rates 3 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
Does Davidson consider legacy status?
Davidson rates alumni relation as "not considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Davidson track demonstrated interest?
Davidson rates the level of an applicant's interest as "considered".
What is Davidson's waitlist acceptance rate?
953 students stayed on the waitlist and 28 were admitted, a rate of 2.9%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Davidson's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 358 of 1,232 applicants were admitted (29.1%), against 12.6% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Davidson’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
