Private nonprofit · University

Johnson University

Knoxville, Tennessee · Fringe rural

65.1%
Admit rate
$22,063
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$40,596
Median earnings

Johnson University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Knoxville, Tennessee (fringe rural setting), enrolling 743 undergraduates. It has a Christian Churches and Churches of Christ religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 743 undergradsFringe ruralAccessible · 65% admitNAIA Division IICold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
65.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
960–1110
Avg GPA (est.)
3.14

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

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

About Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. One of the oldest artificial structures in Knoxville is a burial mound constructed during the early Mississippian culture period (c. 1000–1400 A.D.). The earthwork mound was preserved, but the University of Tennessee campus developed around it. Knoxville is home to a rich arts community and has many festivals throughout the year. Its contributions to old-time, bluegrass and country music are numerous, from Flatt and Scruggs and Homer and Jethro to The Everly Brothers. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
287 miles
Nearest airport
16 miles to McGhee Tyson (TYS) · major hub

How Johnson University compares

Selectivity65.1%

More selective than 71% · #13 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1078

Higher than 22%

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 54% · #14 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention69%

Higher than 29%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,596

Higher than 15% · #36 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$22,063

Cheaper than 41% · #31 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment743

Larger than 29%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

975students
  • Undergraduate74376%
  • Graduate23224%

Undergraduates by gender

743undergrads
  • Women32143%
  • Men42257%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White71%
  • Black6.1%
  • Hispanic6.7%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
743
Graduate enrollment
232
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
25%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$50,581
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$54,675
Endowment
$14,268,458

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 181 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee59%
  • Other U.S. states34%
  • International7.7%

A regional draw: about 59% of first-years come from Tennessee, the rest from elsewhere.

8% came from outside the U.S. 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
65.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
960–1110
SAT average
1078
SAT reading
490–570
SAT math
470–540
ACT composite
18–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.14

Cost

In-state tuition
$21,122
Room & board
$9,900
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$34,244
Average net price
$22,063

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)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
43%
First-year retention
69%
Transferred to another college
12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$35,649
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$40,596
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Students with federal loans
55%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
57%

About 14% 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
43%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
33%

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
776
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$3,932
Meal plan (year)
$5,346
Application fee
$35
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Varsity athletes
242 (125 men · 117 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 (7)

Soccer60
Basketball58
Baseball42
Volleyball27
Softball26
Tennis22
Golf7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (978 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.3
Fondling
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
$17,246
$30–48k
$19,212
$48–75k
$23,206
$75–110k
$25,075
$110k+
$24,860

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
$101,353

$23,206/year × about 4.4 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.

89%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,274
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 89% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,274. 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 155 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)
$40,596
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
53%
Out-earn a HS grad
48%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.3 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
$34,825
Men
$45,087

Men out-earn women by $10,262 (29%) 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
90°F
Winter low
27°F
Annual rain
48.8″
Annual snow
3.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sevierville, TN US station (8.5 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 Johnson University

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

Colleges near Johnson 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.