Public · University

Christopher Newport University

Newport News, Virginia · Midsize city

86.0%
Admit rate
$23,015
Avg net price
72%
Graduation rate
$60,509
Median earnings

Christopher Newport University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Newport News, Virginia (midsize city setting), enrolling 4,365 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,365 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 86% admitNCAA Division III with football · New Jersey Athletic ConferenceCold wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Christopher Newport University's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1060–1290
Avg GPA (est.)
3.37

Enter a test score to see where you land against Christopher Newport University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Christopher Newport University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Newport News, Virginia

Newport News is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. During the 17th century, shortly after founding of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, English settlers explored and began settling the areas adjacent to Hampton Roads. People who have grown up in the Hampton Roads area have a unique Tidewater accent which is found among natives of Eastern Virginia and Maryland. Vowels have a longer pronunciation than in most accents. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
19 miles to Norfolk, VA
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
5 miles to Newport News Williamsburg (PHF)

How Christopher Newport University compares

Selectivity86.0%

More selective than 33% · #24 most selective of 43 in Virginia

SAT average1180

Higher than 52%

Graduation rate72%

Higher than 81% · #10 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention81%

Higher than 65%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$60,509

Higher than 69% · #16 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$23,015

Cheaper than 35% · #28 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment4,365

Larger than 75%

Percentiles compare Christopher Newport University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,450students
  • Undergraduate4,36598%
  • Graduate852%

Undergraduates by gender

4,365undergrads
  • Women2,59860%
  • Men1,76740%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White68%
  • Black9.2%
  • Hispanic9.2%
  • Asian4.0%
  • Other or multiracial9.6%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,365
Graduate enrollment
85
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
16%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$97,520
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$98,901
Endowment
$54,011,627

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,163 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Virginia93%
  • Other U.S. states7.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Christopher Newport University draws overwhelmingly from Virginia.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
86.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1060–1290
SAT average
1180
SAT reading
550–660
SAT math
510–630
ACT composite
25–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.37

Cost

In-state tuition
$16,828
Out-of-state tuition
$31,178
Room & board
$12,460
Books & supplies
$1,564
Total cost of attendance
$33,766
Average net price
$23,015

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
72%
Graduated on time (4 years)
64%
First-year retention
81%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$51,931
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$60,509
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
73%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
64%
Low-income (Pell)
68%
First-generation
70%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,801
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
87%
Housing charge (year)
$7,310
Meal plan (year)
$5,050
Application fee
$65
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
New Jersey Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
668 (432 men · 236 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (14)

Football132
Lacrosse86
Track and Field (Indoor)75
Track and Field (Outdoor)75
Soccer64
Baseball50
Basketball39
Softball30
Cross Country27
Field Hockey22
Volleyball19
Tennis18
Golf17
Sailing14

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
54
Property offenses (2022–2024)
17

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,454 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

24reported offenses a year
18 violent a year5.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
10
Fondling
3.7
Aggravated assault
3.0
Burglary
2.7
Motor vehicle theft
2.7
Robbery
1.0
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$12,461
$30–48k
$12,752
$48–75k
$14,163
$75–110k
$22,776
$110k+
$30,584

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$59,045

$14,163/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

54%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,787
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 54% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,787. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,161 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$60,509
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
41%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$57,019
Men
$67,194

Men out-earn women by $10,175 (18%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
88°F
Winter low
31°F
Annual rain
45.1″
Annual snow
2.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Newport News Intl AP, VA US station (4.8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Christopher Newport University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Christopher Newport University side by side →

Colleges near Christopher Newport University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.