Livingstone College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Salisbury, North Carolina. It enrolls 924 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Good
60/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes23
Value39
Affordability90
Selectivity38
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 59.3%, Livingstone College is moderately selective.
Acceptance Rate
59.3%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Livingstone College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
24.0 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Livingstone College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $13,479 per year. That's below the typical net price for private nonprofit colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$13,479
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
82%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
78%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$18,296
Room & Board (on-campus)
$6,794
Room & Board (off-campus)
$3,262
Books & Supplies
$1,300
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,429
Total Cost of Attendance
$28,305
Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$13,860
$30,001 – $48,000
$14,056
$48,001 – $75,000
$11,028
$75,001 – $110,000
$14,558
Over $110,000
$16,018
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$4,75010%percentile
$5,50025%percentile
$31,125Medianpercentile
$29,50075%percentile
$44,75590%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $26,500
↓ $4,625
No Pell $20,000
↓ $11,125
Dependent students $26,000
↓ $5,125
Independent students $26,500
↓ $4,625
Female students $27,000
↓ $4,125
Male students $24,250
↓ $6,875
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $19,500, less than completers ($31,125), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
28% of full-time students who enrolled at Livingstone College graduate within six years, and 74% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
28%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
74%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Livingstone College earn a median of $32,600 ten years after first enrolling. That's below the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$32,600
Earning > $25K
55%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$24,400
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$27,500
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$24,800
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$27,500
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$28,200
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
17.9 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Concerning. Only 34% of graduates are actively reducing principal even seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Livingstone College is home to 924 students, a small, close-knit community. Some distinctive traits: 39% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
924
Part-Time
2%
First-Generation
39%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Black 86.7%801
Other 5.4%50
International 5.2%48
White 2.1%19
Hispanic 0.5%5
Asian 0.1%1
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Livingstone College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Large SuburbSalisbury, North Carolina
Housing
Strongly residential880 beds for 924 students
Adult Learners
6%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
Designation
Historically Black College / University (HBCU)
Designation
Religiously affiliated
What You Can Study
Livingstone College offers
a varied set of programs:
17 distinct programs across
15 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Livingstone College is 13:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
13:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$82M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$52,931
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
53 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
7
13%
$56,433
Associate Professors
9
17%
$61,662
Assistant Professors
23
43%
$51,512
Instructors
14
26%
$47,899
Pros & Cons of Livingstone College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Livingstone College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Reasonable class sizes
Tight-knit, close community feel
Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
Modest first-year retention
Below-average post-graduation earnings
Higher than typical student debt at graduation
Best for:
Based on the data, Livingstone College is a fit for
students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Livingstone College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Livingstone College.
Is Livingstone College hard to get into?
Admissions at Livingstone College are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 59.3%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Livingstone College?
Livingstone College has an acceptance rate of 59.3%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Livingstone College cost?
The average net price after aid at Livingstone College is $13,479 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Livingstone College worth it?
Moderate return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $32,600 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $13,479 per year. That's roughly 2.4x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Livingstone College known for?
Livingstone College is best known for its programs in Business Administration, Kinesiology, Criminal Justice. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Livingstone College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Livingstone College are $32,600, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Livingstone College accredited?
Yes. Livingstone College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Livingstone College?
Livingstone College enrolls 924 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Livingstone College?
Livingstone College graduates 28% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Livingstone College a public or private college?
Livingstone College is a Private Nonprofit institution.
Where is Livingstone College located?
Livingstone College is located in Salisbury, North Carolina.
What programs does Livingstone College offer?
Livingstone College offers 17 distinct programs. The most popular include Business Administration, Kinesiology, Criminal Justice.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Livingstone College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Livingstone College is 13:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in North Carolina
Other colleges in North Carolina share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Rankings That Feature Livingstone College
Livingstone College appears in these rankings, built from the same federal data and the UCD Score.
Most Affordable Personal Services Colleges
The most affordable colleges for Personal Services, ranked by net price with earnings and outcomes shown.
$4,904 Lowest Net
$15,222 Avg Net
88 UCD Score
$60,327 Top Earn
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
