| Location: | Southeast |
| Setting: | Small Town Setting |
| Type: | Private |
| Size: | Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad) |
The mission of Cumberland University is to create a learning community of distinction through a partnership among its students, faculty, staff and the larger community. The development of the whole student -- intellectual, spiritual, psycho-social, physical, creative -- is emphasized in preparation for successful and responsible personal living, for productive economic participation, and for constructive citizenship. Learning opportunities are offered in the liberal arts, selected pre-professional, professional, graduate programs, and Continuing Education programs. Students are facilitated to develop a pattern of lifelong learning by learning to learn and by developing critical thinking, reasoning, and communication abilities. Commitment is made to developing personal and social responsibility through an exploration of an ethical/moral basis.
< CollapseCumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee founded in 1842. The current campus was built in 1896.
The University was founded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The original building, designed by William Strickland in 1844, housed schools of art, law and theology. The building was burned during the American Civil War.
After the American Civil War, the University was briefly host to former Confederate general and Rogersville, Tennessee native A. P. Stewart, who taught during his post-war Union parole.
Even in its early years, Cumberland University had a reputation for high-quality education. Its former law school, the Cumberland School of Law, was at one time was reputed to have had more of its alumni elected to Congress than any other in the South.
For many years the law school was located in historic Caruthers Hall, named for Robert Looney Caruthers, a founder of Cumberland University. The school fell on hard times during the Great Depression, however, as was common with many smaller private colleges, and was slow to recover, being forced to sell the law school to what is now Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in 1962 and to operate only as a junior college until the 1980s when university status could be restored.
Ironically, Cumberland may well be best-known for being on the losing end of the most lopsided college football game in history, 222-0 to Georgia Tech in 1916. A more praiseworthy athletic effort was that of the 2004 baseball team, which won the World Series of the NAIA; the 2006 team was runner-up in this event. The football team is a member of the Mid-South Conference. Other intercollegiate sports are conducted under the auspices of the TranSouth Athletic Conference, which does not contest football. A top-ten finish at the National Collegiate Cycling Association's National Championship...a women's basketball team that finished as NAIA National Tournament Runner-Up in 2007...a National Tournament appearance for the No. 17-ranked Men's Tennis Team in 2007...the tradition continues.
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| Percent of Students International: | 3% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 35% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NAIA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Mid-South Conference) Basketball (TranSouth Athletic Conference) Baseball (TranSouth Athletic Conference) Track (TranSouth Athletic Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 13,344 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 400 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,978 | 40% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 4,515 | 17% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 7,648 | 97% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 4,203 | 58% | |
Any Aid: |
97% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 69% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 7% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 460, Math: 430 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 520, Math: 540 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 81% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 18, Verbal: 18, Math: 19 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 23, Verbal: 21, Math: 23 |
| Application Fee: | $ 25.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Required |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Recommended |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
