Carson-Newman University

Admission to Carson-Newman University is broadly accessible, with an overall acceptance rate of 90.4% in 2025. Compared with peer private national universities, this acceptance rate is higher than 85% of peer institutions. In the U.S. News rankings, the university stood at 293rd in 2020 before settling at 358th in 2026. The institution recorded a yield rate of 16.8% in 2025, which is higher than 52% of peers. This modest yield rate indicates that less than a fifth of admitted students ultimately choose to enroll. For prospective applicants, gaining admission is very attainable, though the university's position on national lists has declined in recent years.

Carson-Newman University maintains accessible testing and academic standards for incoming undergraduates. For the class entering in 2025, the university reported a median SAT score of 1070, which is higher than 7% of peer private national universities. ACT participation is far more prevalent among enrollees, with the middle 50% of composite scores falling between 19 and 25. High school grade distributions indicate that the majority of admitted students achieved solid academic records prior to enrolling, with most maintaining grade point averages at or above the B-plus range. For prospective applicants, these criteria suggest that test scores in the lower to middle twenties on the ACT or around the national average on the SAT represent competitive credentials for admission. Candidates with steady secondary school grades that match these ranges can consider their academic preparation well suited to the institution's expectations.

Carson-Newman University awarded 326 bachelor's degrees and more than three hundred master's degrees in 2025. At the undergraduate level, completions are somewhat concentrated, with the top three majors accounting for 29.8% of all bachelor's degrees awarded. The largest undergraduate program was Business Administration and Management, General, with 39 graduates, followed by Exercise Science and Kinesiology and Psychology. In national program rankings, the graduate education school was ranked 216th by U.S. News in 2026, while undergraduate nursing was ranked 506th in 2027. Postgraduate programs show significant enrollment in healthcare and teaching, led by Family Practice Nurse/Nursing with nearly one hundred master's graduates. In 2023 earnings data, median pay one year after graduation varied across disciplines: bachelor's degree graduates in Registered Nursing earned $63,391, compared to $42,943 for those in Business Administration. Prospective students should recognize that while health fields offer solid initial earnings, the university's programs sit outside the highest national ranking tiers.

In 2025, Carson-Newman University enrolled 2,669 students across undergraduate and graduate levels. Graduate students formed the largest group at 1,073, with women comprising more than three-quarters of that graduate population. First-year undergraduate freshmen numbered 373. White students constitute the largest demographic group across all student levels, representing about seven in ten undergraduates and graduate students. Black students represent roughly twelve percent of freshmen and eleven percent of graduate students. Hispanic students account for around six percent of freshmen. International students represent about five percent of freshmen and under three percent of graduate students, while Asian students make up under one percent of freshmen and about two percent of graduate enrollment.

In 2025, the undergraduate population of 1,596 students was concentrated primarily in traditional college age brackets. Undergraduates aged 18 to 19 accounted for 38.4% of the undergraduate body, followed by 33.5% aged 20 to 21, and another segment under age 18. In contrast, the university's 1,073 graduate students displayed an older age distribution. About one-fifth of graduate students were aged 25 to 29, roughly nineteen percent were in their forties, and about eighteen percent were between 22 and 24.

International enrollment at Carson-Newman University represents a small portion of the overall student population. In 2025, undergraduate international students numbered 80, accounting for 5.0% of all undergraduates. This share is higher than 58% of peer private national universities, where the median stands at 4.1%, and reflects a modest increase from 4.3% in 2016. At the graduate level, international enrollment has declined over the past decade, dropping to 29 students, or 2.7% of the graduate body in 2025. Among 2025 degree recipients, international students represented about six percent of bachelor's graduates, five percent of master's graduates, and zero doctoral graduates. International undergraduates were primarily concentrated in Business Administration and Management, General, where they made up roughly fifteen percent of graduates, alongside Sport and Fitness Administration. At the master's level, international representation was similarly concentrated in Business Administration, while professional nursing and education programs had virtually no international students.

Families exploring educational options near Carson-Newman University will find several prominent institutions within driving distance. The closest option is The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, a National University ranked 109th and located 27 kilometers away. Across state borders, Furman University is a Liberal Arts College ranked 57th, situated 101.7 kilometers from campus. Another nearby public institution is Clemson University, ranked 80th among National Universities at a distance of 106.4 kilometers. Additionally, Berea College, a Liberal Arts College ranked 62nd, is located 109.5 kilometers away in neighboring Kentucky. These colleges provide prospective applicants with alternative regional choices, encompassing both large state research universities and well-regarded liberal arts colleges within a reasonable radius.

Carson-Newman University maintains a relatively quiet campus environment where the majority of reported infractions involve substance regulations. In 2025, Forward Pathway's weighted crime rate per 1,000 students was 7.4. When looking at total incident counts from 2023 to 2025, alcohol-related offenses made up the primary share of campus incidents. Over that three-year period, there were 19 disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations along with 13 liquor law arrests. Drug violations and interpersonal offenses were reported far less frequently during the same span, comprising a small fraction of overall reports. For families and prospective students evaluating campus safety, these records show that day-to-day enforcement focuses primarily on underage drinking and campus alcohol rules rather than violent crime.