The University of the South

The University of the South presents a comparatively accessible admissions profile among its competitive peers, though its institutional standing has remained relatively steady near the top fifty. In the 2027 U.S. News Liberal Arts College Rankings, the university placed 49th. Gaining admission is relatively accessible compared to similar institutions, as seen in its 56.9% undergraduate acceptance rate, which is higher than 77% of peer private liberal arts colleges. This means that more than half of all applicants receive an offer of admission. However, the university experiences considerable competition when convincing accepted applicants to enroll. Its yield rate reached 17.9%, demonstrating that fewer than one in five admitted students ultimately choose to attend. For prospective applicants, these figures indicate that securing an acceptance letter is more attainable than at many similarly ranked liberal arts colleges, but the institution must contend with numerous alternative options when students make their final matriculation decisions.

The University of the South follows an admissions policy where standardized test scores are optional, considered if submitted. For the 2025 entering class, a minority of enrolling students submitted standardized tests, with ACT submissions outnumbering SAT submissions. Among those who provided scores in 2025, the middle 50% achieved an ACT composite score between 27 and 31. On the SAT, the median score was 1330, which is higher than 21% of peer schools among 30 similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges. Section results showed slightly higher performance on reading than on math. For prospective applicants, these figures define the testing profile of enrolled students who submitted scores. Scoring within or above these ranges reflects academic alignment with testing classmates, while the test-optional framework means that admissions evaluations also place substantial weight on high school course rigor and classroom achievement.

Academic programs at The University of the South are anchored in traditional liberal arts and social sciences, showing moderate concentration across disciplines. In 2025, the top three undergraduate fields accounted for 32.9% of bachelor's degree recipients, showing that degrees are fairly distributed rather than dominated by a single department. The largest major was Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, which produced 67 graduates, followed by general biology and political science. While popular on campus, the institution's programs are not nationally prominent on major ranking tables; in the 2027 U.S. News rankings, undergraduate economics placed 196th and psychology placed 276th, so neither represents a top-tier national ranking. International students form a very small fraction of these undergraduate cohorts. Post-graduation earnings data from 2023 indicate that economics graduates led among bachelor fields with median early-career earnings of $60,287, while humanities and social science majors earned lower medians. For prospective students, the curriculum offers broad foundational coursework with balanced enrollment across classic disciplines.

The student body at The University of the South is relatively small and predominantly domestic, with enrollment concentrated almost entirely at the undergraduate level. In 2025, total enrollment stood at 1,724 students across all academic levels, including continuing undergraduates, incoming first-years, and a small graduate division. White students make up the overwhelming majority across every student cohort, accounting for more than four-fifths of all undergraduates. Representation of minority and non-domestic groups remains limited. In the first-year cohort, there were 20 international students, who represented 4.2% of the entering class, alongside 2 Asian students. Returning undergraduate cohorts display a similar demographic composition, with modest counts of Asian and non-resident students spread across various class years. Gender distribution is fairly balanced, with female students holding a slight majority among undergraduates. For families evaluating the campus, the community remains small, cohesive, and primarily drawn from domestic backgrounds.

The age distributions of undergraduate and graduate students at The University of the South highlight two completely distinct campus experiences. Among undergraduates in 2025, the student population is overwhelmingly traditional college age. Students aged 18 to 19 made up 46.6% of the undergraduate body, while those aged 20 to 21 accounted for 40.4%. With nearly nine in ten undergraduates between 18 and 21, the undergraduate culture centers heavily on an immersive, traditional collegiate lifestyle. In contrast, the graduate division consists of mature adult learners. The largest graduate segment is students aged 40 to 49, representing 32.5% of all graduate students, followed by individuals in their thirties. This sharp contrast means undergraduate life remains focused on young adults entering higher education straight out of secondary school, while graduate study serves established mid-career professionals.

International enrollment at The University of the South constitutes a small share of the student body, with noticeable variation between degree levels. In 2025, international students made up 3.5% of all undergraduates, a proportion higher than 10% of peer private liberal arts colleges. This indicates that international undergraduates represent a much smaller presence on campus than at most comparable institutions, even though their numbers have grown slightly over the past decade. At the graduate level, global representation is somewhat higher, with international students comprising 10% of graduate enrollment. Among degree recipients in 2025, international students earned a small slice of bachelor's degrees, dispersing thinly across popular departments such as economics and biology. In graduate programs, international master's degree recipients were heavily concentrated in specialized religious study, where 55.6% of graduates in theology were international students. For prospective international applicants, the college provides a predominantly domestic environment at the undergraduate level, with focused international cohorts primarily in specific graduate fields.

Applicants exploring colleges near Sewanee have multiple regional alternatives, ranging from prominent research institutions to smaller liberal arts settings. Just over 80 kilometers away in Nashville, Vanderbilt University is a leading national research university ranked 16th, and nearby Belmont University sits at rank 208 in the same metropolitan area. To the south in Alabama, University of Alabama in Huntsville offers a regional public university option located 52.6 kilometers away, with a national university rank of 262. For families looking specifically at liberal arts institutions, Spelman College is located 132.5 kilometers away in Atlanta and ranks 34th among national liberal arts colleges, providing another focused undergraduate environment in the broader region.

Campus safety at The University of the South is primarily characterized by non-violent alcohol and substance violations rather than violent offenses. In 2025, the school recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 14.8, reflecting a substantial decline over recent years from earlier levels. Looking across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, institutional incident totals show that policy infractions constitute the vast majority of safety reports. Disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations were the most frequent, totaling 84 incidents over those three years, followed by 24 disciplinary referrals for drug violations. Law enforcement arrests for liquor violations and stalking incidents also occurred in smaller volumes over the same timeframe, while property theft and robbery remained minimal. For prospective students and their families, the safety record demonstrates that while substance-related misconduct is actively logged by campus authorities, the overall incidence of severe crime remains very low.