Belmont University (BU) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Founded in 1890 as the Belmont College, Belmont University is located two miles outside of Nashville, Tennessee on a beautiful seventy-five acre campus. The university is a liberal arts Christian college and is the largest Christian university in the state. Students may choose from nearly eighty areas of study and may pursue bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, doctorates or continuing education programs.

The school offers many different educational programs including traditional classroom study, adult education, an Honors program and study abroad. There are also numerous student organizations and intercollegiate sports teams for student participation. Students also have full access to a fitness center complete with a climbing wall.

Nearby Nashville is known as the Music Capital and offers a plethora of social and cultural opportunities so that if students wish, they may choose from wonderful restaurants, unique shopping, museums, nightclubs and an endless number of other entertainment venues.

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Information Summary

Ranks 16th in Tennessee and 605th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	85.3
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$52,760
Admission Success rate	N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores	29 / 1300
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	21 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	82% / 100%
Enrollment Total (all students)	8,260

Academics

BU is a forerunner among teaching institutions and prides itself on combining the best professional and liberal arts education in a Christian community of service and learning. They offer more than seventy-five areas of study, three doctoral programs and about twenty master’s programs, so students seeking this kind of education are sure to find a career path that interests them at the university.

For undergraduate students, Belmont offers six different colleges of study from which to choose a major as well as two interdisciplinary programs, an honors program and five different pre-professional degrees. Some of the colleges of study include the College of Business Administration, the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing and the College of Arts and Sciences. Students may also choose to learn in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, the College of Visual and Performing Arts or the School of Religion. Pre-professional programs include pre-law, pre-pharmacy, pre-OT, pre-PT and pre-med.

The university also offers an extensive study abroad program and even has scholarships and other financial aid to help fund the opportunity for a student to study abroad and learn their profession from a global perspective. Students may choose to study abroad for either a summer, spring or fall semester or for an entire year and may choose from such places as France, Italy, East Asia, Japan and Switzerland. There are also a broad range of specific academic programs, so interested students should refer to the International Education and Study Away Program at the university.

Graduate programs offer the advantage of small class sizes and the use of state-of-the-art technology with which to further an education. Some of the programs offered in the graduate program include law, nursing, occupational therapy, business administration and pharmacy.

The Adult Education Program offers adult students that wish to earn a degree but may not be able to attend traditional, on-campus, daytime classes the opportunity to do so. The program offers flexible scheduling so that adults may continue to earn while they learn. Some of the programs available include nursing, accounting, ministry and liberal studies. The liberal studies program allows students to design their own degrees.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Admissions

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and on a space-available basis, so it is recommended that potential freshmen apply early in their senior year of high school. This is especially important because many programs are extremely limited on space. The application deadline for the fall semester is August 1, the deadline for the spring semester is November 15, and the summer term deadline is May 1. Because the school offers many merit scholarships that are available in limited amounts, prospective students should apply as early as possible. The application itself serves as the merit scholarship application.

Students may choose to complete either the Common Application or the school’s own application online, or they may print a paper copy to complete and mail or fax in. Students applying for readmission are considered in the same pool as new applicants. Each application is considered individually and the university looks for a strong correlation between grades and test scores. Students should have performed above average both in high school course work and in any college work completed.

Students should make sure that the application is complete prior to submitting it as incomplete applications won’t be considered. Other documentation that applicants will need to submit include the application fee, the official recommendation form, the Personal Supplement with your answers to the essay and your resume attached, official high school and college (if applicable) transcripts and official SAT or ACT scores. Applicants will also need to submit the Secondary School Report form. For applicants interested in learning more about the Honors program, there is information available on the school’s website. Some programs have additional application requirements.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available to students for both on-campus and distance educational expenses in the form of merit and need-based scholarships, local, state and federally subsidized grants, loans and work-study programs. Students wishing to be considered for the school and locally sponsored scholarships should apply as early as possible in order to be eligible as many of the programs have limited funding. The entrance application is also used for the scholarship application. To begin the process for other aid, students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that is available online starting in January. Students should have financial information for both themselves and their family prior to starting the application.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 2584th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Tennessee.

Athletics

The Bruins are an NCAA Division I Athletics club that offers several different varsity sports including men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, soccer, golf, tennis and track and field. Men may also choose to participate in baseball while women may also choose softball or volleyball. There is also a cheerleading squad, so students interested in cheer may participate at the varsity level. As the athetics division prides itself on the spirit of community that the school in general fosters, there are several kids camps that are offered by the college including baseball, soccer, basketball and softball.

Belmont University