Austin Peay State University (APSU) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Austin Peay State University is a four-year public institution founded in 1927 and located in Clarksville, Tennessee, which is the state’s fifth largest and youngest city. The name of the school came from the Tennessee Governor Austin Peay, who was a Clarksville native. There are 68 buildings located across the 169-acre main campus. Among Regional Universities in the South, APSU was ranked number 69 in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges. They were also ranked number 32 under Top Public Schools.

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Information Summary

Ranks 29th in Tennessee and 1221st overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	77.4
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$24,946
Admission Success rate	N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores	24 / 1178
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	20 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	67% / 47%
Enrollment Total (all students)	10,954

Academics

APSU offers over 56 majors and 63 different concentrations. The different colleges and schools students can choose from include: College of Arts and Letters, College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, School of Nursing, College of Business, College of Education, College of Graduate Studies, College of Science and Mathematics, and School of Technology and Public Management. Some of the most popular majors are business, management, and marketing; communication and journalism; health professions and related clinical sciences; liberal arts and sciences studies, and humanities; and multi/interdisciplinary studies.

There are 26 undergraduate credit courses that are offered online. Obtaining a degree completely through online courses is only possible for select majors and degrees. As of the 2011 school year, six bachelor’s degrees and three associates degrees were offered online.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Admissions

All students interested in attending APSU must either fill out an application online or print out the application and mail it to the Office of Admissions. Along with the application, a small non-refundable application fee must be submitted online, mailed, or paid in person at the Browning Administration Building. Incoming freshman must have their SAT or ACT scores sent to the Office of Admissions as well as their official high school transcripts or GED scores. If the student graduated from a Tennessee public high school, they must also send a notation indicating the student has passed the Tennessee High School Proficiency Examination. A list of all of the requirements for admissions can be found on the APSU website. Active duty military and veterans must fill out specific admissions forms depending on which department they served in. Students from out of state are charged higher tuition and fees in comparison to in-state students.

Transfer Students:

Transfer students who have earned 12-29 credit hours must have a minimum GPA of 1.5, and the GPA requirement is slightly higher for students with over 30 credit hours. Transfer students under the age of 21 must also complete the COMPASS assessment and must not receive more than one subscore requiring enrollment in an enhanced core English or mathematics class. Additional requirements for transfer students can be found on the schools official website.

International Students:

International students are required to take the TOEFL exam, and the score requirement varies whether the student is taking the paper-based exam, the computer-based exam, or the internet-based exam. If the student has a J or F visa they must submit a medical certificate signed by a physician or health care professional verifying they do not have tuberculosis.

Financial Aid

Students receiving academic scholarships from APSU must complete 75 service hours each semester. If the student does not complete all of the hours, they will be billed a pro-rata share of the scholarship(s) and the scholarship(s) for the future may be canceled. There are also GPA requirements depending on the academic scholarship to which the student has received.

Various scholarships are also available based on the level of education of the student, the department for which they are enrolled, for transfer students and for athletics.

Students must be enrolled in a minimum of half-time status to receive student loans, TSAA or the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship. Grants are also prorated based on the amount of credit hours the student is enrolled in.

A Federal Work Study Program is available for eligible students, but they must maintain a minimum GPA of 1.5 and be enrolled at least half-time. The maximum hours per week a student can work in the FWS is generally 20 hours per week and the department in which the student is working for determines the hourly wages.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 4812th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Tennessee.

Students

On-Campus Housing

Most students live off-campus, while a small percentage of students live in college housing. Full-time, single freshman under 21 must live on campus for the first two semesters, unless they are living with a parent or legal guardian and are within 50 miles of the school. Students who will be living at home must submit a residency exemption form. All students interested in living on campus must apply for housing and give a deposit with their application.

The types of on campus housing available include: private rooms, suite-style residential halls, nontraditional student housing, family housing and ADA housing. Students living on campus do not have a curfew and can go and come as they please. Laundry rooms are available for students living on campus free of charge and students also have access to high-speed Internet connections and wireless Internet in all of the housing facilities.

Student Organizations

Greek life is not a priority among students at APSU. There is only a small percentage of students who are members of a fraternity and an even smaller percentage of students in sororities. However, a variety of organizations are available and cultural events are regularly held on campus. The school has both a student newspaper, The All State, and a creative writing publication, Zone 3. Art heritage and culture are big at Austin Peay. The school has a Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, as well as its own art galleries. They were also the first school in the state to develop a Hispanic Culture Center, and also have an African American Culture Center.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

APSU intercollegiate athletics are a member of the NCAA Division I. The school’s mascot is the “Governors” in honor of the Tennessee Governor APSU was named after. There are various sports teams available for both men and women: basketball, cross country, golf, and tennis. The sports teams available for only men are baseball and football and the teams only for women are softball, track and field, and volleyball.

Local Community

The Environmental Education Center (EEC) located in Clarksville is composed of 475-acres of land made up of environmental habitats. It is located near the main campus and supplies support to academic programs at APSU. Half of the land at the EEC consists of natural cover and forest and the other half is used as a demonstration area and for the production of farm commodities. There is even a natural cave containing fish that have evolved without eyes. Students are able to study various natural aspects at the EEC including: livestock, tobacco, plant material center, plant and animal wildlife, wildlife plots, various timber harvest methods, a walk-through model cow and land formations.

Bibliography

Austin Peay State University. APSU. 25 May 2011 <http://www.apsu.edu/>.

Official Site of Austin Peay Athletics. 2011. APSU. 25 May 2011 <http://www.letsgopeay.com/>.

U.S. News & World Report. 2011. U.S. News & World Report LP. 25 May 2011 <http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/austin-peay-state-university-3478>.

Austin Peay State University