It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery[5] and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan's Ford.

[5] Davidson is a four-year undergraduate institution and enrolls 1,973 students from 50 states and territories, Washington, D.C., and 46 countries.

[7] The college offers 37 majors and 39 minors in liberal arts disciplines as well as other interdisciplinary academic programs.

Academic life at Davidson is governed by an honor code that allows students to take self-scheduled, unproctored final exams.

[10][11] An institution of higher learning of The Presbyterian Church (USA),[12] Davidson College was founded in 1837 by The Concord Presbytery after purchasing 469 acres (1.90 km2) of land from William Lee Davidson II, who claimed possession of at least 25 enslaved individuals in Mecklenburg County and 65 in Alabama.

[14] Church records show a meeting on May 13, 1835, among subsequent meetings, by members of the Concord Presbytery making plans to purchase and perform initial construction on the land, with land payments starting Jan 1 of the following year.

[16] On November 28, 1921, the Chambers Building was destroyed in a fire but was reconstructed eight years later with funding from the Rockefeller family.

In 1923, the Gamma chapter in North Carolina of Phi Beta Kappa was established at Davidson.

Over 1500 men and 500 women have been initiated into Davidson's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

[19] On May 5, 1972, the trustees voted to allow women to enroll at Davidson as degree students for the first time.

The first women were permitted to attend classes to increase the size of the student body during the American Civil War.

[21] Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report regard Davidson's admission process as "most selective".

[34] According to The Princeton Review, Davidson is ranked among the top twenty colleges nationally for the following categories: "Best Overall Academic Experience For Undergraduates," "Professors Get High Marks" (1st), "Professors Make Themselves Accessible" (16th), "Students Study the Most" (10th), "School Runs Like Butter" (4th), "Town-Gown Relations are Great" (3rd), "Easiest Campus to Get Around" (3rd), and "Best Quality of Life (16th).

As one of the most obvious manifestations of the Honor Code, Davidson students take self-scheduled, unproctored final exams.

Notes around campus are commonly seen, whether on a bulletin board or taped to a brick walkway, describing an item found at the location and the finder's contact information so that the property may be recovered.

Its three most popular majors, by 2024 graduates, were Econometrics & Quantitative Economics (89), Biology (83), and Political Science (54).

[39] Davidson has the fourth-smallest undergraduate enrollment of any school in Division I football, behind Presbyterian, VMI (Virginia Military Institute), and Wofford (smallest to largest).

[53] In March 2005, the RSC returned to Davidson and was in residency for most of the month, performing The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, as well as numerous educational activities, many of which were open to the general public.

[21] In addition to not including loans in their financial aid packages, Davidson's 2014 capital campaign adding 156 new scholarships funded with $88 million.

[57] Davidson states that they are committed to providing 100% of demonstrated need of all students, which is calculated by the federal FAFSA program, with 44% of students receiving need-based aid and over 50% receiving some form of financial aid.