Lipscomb University

Lipscomb University has seen its standing decline on national league tables, but it remains moderately selective while drawing a committed group of admitted applicants. In the 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, Lipscomb placed at 250, continuing a downward movement from 181 in 2018. For the 2025 admissions cycle, the university posted an acceptance rate of 67.7%, which was higher than only 17% of peer schools in a comparison group of private comprehensive universities with similar rankings. This lower admit rate reflects more selective screening than the peer group median. Once admitted, students choose to enroll at a comparatively solid rate. Lipscomb recorded an enrollment yield rate of 24.9% in 2025, higher than 87% of peer schools in the same comparison group. While roughly three in four admitted applicants choose other institutions, the university retains an enrollment pull well above its direct peers. For prospective applicants, these patterns indicate competitive admission standards alongside strong applicant commitment compared to similar private comprehensive institutions.

Prospective applicants to Lipscomb University face competitive academic expectations, particularly when presenting standardized test scores. For the 2025 admissions cycle, the school's median SAT score was 1280. This median score was higher than all peer schools in a comparison group of private comprehensive universities with similar rankings, where peer median results were lower. Among candidates submitting ACT results, the middle 50% composite score spanned from 23 to 30. Standardized testing represents only part of the profile, as half of entering students submitted ACT results and a smaller share submitted SAT scores. Secondary school academic achievement is notably high among admitted cohorts. High school records from 2020–2021 reveal that 43.98% of entering students earned a high school GPA of 4.0, while another substantial segment earned between 3.75 and 3.99. These metrics indicate that competitive applicants should ideally pair solid high school transcripts characterized by top grades with standardized examination results matching or exceeding the university's middle ranges.

Lipscomb University confers degrees across diverse academic disciplines, with undergraduate enrollment distributed rather than heavily concentrated in a few areas. In 2025, the university conferred 695 bachelor's degrees, with the top three majors accounting for 24.3% of undergraduate graduates. The largest undergraduate major was Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, which produced 69 graduates, followed by general psychology and general biology. Lipscomb's highest-ranked programs appear at the graduate level, where the 2026 U.S. News rankings placed Pharmacy at 92nd and Health Care Management at 96th, while the largest undergraduate fields carry broader national standings. Graduate earnings highlight substantial differences across fields of study. According to 2023 earnings data, bachelor's degree recipients in Mechanical Engineering achieved the highest median first-year salary at $77,662, followed closely by registered nursing graduates. For prospective applicants, these patterns demonstrate that while program prestige is centered primarily in specialized graduate healthcare disciplines, undergraduates entering health sciences and technical tracks achieve strong initial employment outcomes.

Lipscomb University maintains a predominantly domestic student body with relatively modest global and racial diversity across its academic programs. Among incoming undergraduate freshmen in 2025, the campus enrolled 25 international students, representing 3.5% of the entering class. Asian student enrollment follows a similar pattern within the cohort, with 27 students accounting for 3.8% of first-year undergraduates. Across continuing undergraduate and graduate programs, White students constitute the majority, while international and Asian scholars remain small portions of each division. For prospective applicants and families assessing cultural and geographic representation, these figures highlight that international and Asian students make up small minorities on campus. Candidates evaluating whether this community fits their educational preferences should take into account the limited overall presence of these groups when deciding where to apply and enroll.

Lipscomb University's enrollment in 2025 shows a distinct generational divide between undergraduate and graduate programs. Undergraduates are concentrated in traditional age groups, with students aged 20 to 21 comprising 37.2% of the 3,269 undergraduates, followed by those aged 18 to 19 at 34.4%. More than seven in ten undergraduates are under the age of 22. In contrast, graduate enrollment spans a much broader demographic. Students aged 22 to 24 make up the largest graduate share at 26.9%, alongside substantial numbers of students in their late twenties and forties. For prospective applicants, this profile indicates that undergraduate campus life is shaped by cohorts of peers of traditional college age, while graduate studies involve learning alongside both recent college graduates and experienced working adults.

International student enrollment at Lipscomb University has expanded over the past decade, though international scholars still represent a modest share of the campus. In 2025, international students accounted for 3.1% of all undergraduates. In a comparison group of private comprehensive universities with similar rankings, Lipscomb's undergraduate international proportion was higher than 50% of peer schools. In the graduate division, international students represented 1.6% of enrollment in 2025, rising from minimal levels in earlier years. Among degree recipients in 2025, international students earned 4% of bachelor's degrees and under one percent of master's degrees. International undergraduates were primarily concentrated in science and business disciplines, including accounting and biological sciences, while graduate international participation remained limited in professional education and counseling programs. For international candidates, the university offers an environment where international enrollment is expanding but remains a small fraction of the broader student body.

Families exploring higher education in the Nashville area and broader region will find several distinct institutional options near Lipscomb University. Just 2 kilometers away in Nashville, Belmont University is a National University ranked 208 in the 2027 rankings. Also situated within the immediate city center is Vanderbilt University, a highly selective National University ranked 16, located only 2.8 kilometers from Lipscomb. For students willing to look slightly further across Tennessee, Tennessee Technological University is a National University ranked 299, situated 72.5 kilometers away. In addition, The University of the South, a Liberal Arts College ranked 49, is located 79.5 kilometers from campus. These nearby institutions offer families a varied mix of national research universities and liberal arts colleges across different selectivity bands and campus settings within the state.

Campus safety records at Lipscomb University show a downward trend in recorded violations over the past decade, with disciplinary infractions accounting for the vast majority of campus reports. Forward Pathway's crime rate per 1,000 students stood at 1.4 in 2025, reflecting a significant decline from earlier years. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, substance-related disciplinary violations formed the bulk of campus incidents. Specifically, the university documented 73 disciplinary referrals for liquor violations and 23 disciplinary referrals for drug violations across those years. By comparison, interpersonal offenses occurred at very low volumes, including 8 reported incidents of sexual harassment alongside minimal reports of stalking and weapons referrals over the same timeframe. These figures indicate that campus security is largely defined by the enforcement of university conduct policies regarding alcohol and drug regulations, with violent crimes remaining rare.