Private nonprofit · University
King University
Bristol, Tennessee · Small city
- 99.7%
- Admit rate
- $22,347
- Avg net price
- 48%
- Graduation rate
- $59,831
- Median earnings
King University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Bristol, Tennessee (small city setting), enrolling 908 undergraduates. It has a Presbyterian Church (USA) religious affiliation.
About Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. Before 1852, the land where Bristol is located was owned by Reverend James King. His son-in-law, Joseph R. Anderson of Blountville, Tennessee, bought 100 acres (40 ha) of the plantation and named it Bristol. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 72 miles to Asheville, NC
- To the ocean
- 272 miles
- Nearest airport
- 16 miles to Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA (TRI)
How King University compares
More selective than 4% · #36 most selective of 37 in Tennessee
Higher than 35% · #28 of 43 in Tennessee
Higher than 13%
Higher than 67% · #7 of 43 in Tennessee
Cheaper than 39% · #32 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee
Lower than 55%
Lower than 68%
Larger than 34%
Percentiles compare King 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
- Undergraduate90882%
- Graduate19318%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women60567%
- Men30333%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White73%
- Black5.8%
- Hispanic5.1%
- Other or multiracial16%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 908
- Graduate enrollment
- 193
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 42%
- First-generation students
- 51%
- Students over 25
- 27%
- Median family income
- $35,279
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $47,115
- Endowment
- $39,867,681
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 166 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Tennessee46%
- Other U.S. states48%
- International6.0%
A regional draw: about 46% of first-years come from Tennessee, the rest from elsewhere.
6% 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
- 99.7%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $36,194
- Room & board
- $10,880
- Books & supplies
- $1,300
- Total cost of attendance
- $49,004
- Average net price
- $22,347
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)
- 48%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 45%
- First-year retention
- 60%
- Transferred to another college
- 37%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $52,248
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $59,831
- Median debt at graduation
- $22,750
- Students with federal loans
- 55%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 54%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 443
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 49%
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,154
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,108
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 504 (283 men · 221 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 (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 12
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,157 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$18,035/year × about 4.1 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.
King University discounts heavily: 78% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $20,713. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
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 147 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)
- $59,831
- Typical debt at graduation
- $22,750
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 38%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 73%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $6,694 (12%) 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
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 47.3″
- Annual snow
- 9.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Abingdon 3S, VA US station (12.2 mi from campus).
What King University graduates study — and earn
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 King University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare King University side by side →
Loras College
Dubuque, Iowa · Small city · 62 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 1,083
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $58k
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Midsize city · 6 mi to Baton Rouge
- Students
- 821
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $59k
Mercy College of Health Sciences
Des Moines, Iowa · Midsize city · 1 mi to Des Moines
- Students
- 867
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 980
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $62k
Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg, Virginia · Small city · 101 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 754
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $55k
St. Thomas Aquinas College
Sparkill, New York · Large suburb · 23 mi to New York
- Students
- 972
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1000
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $63k
Baker University
Baldwin City, Kansas · Distant rural · 40 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 1,100
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $64k
Colleges near King University
Virginia Highlands Community College
Abingdon, VA · Public · Certificate · 1,349 students
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton
Elizabethton, TN · Public · Certificate · 546 students
Northeast State Community College
Blountville, TN · Public · Associate · 4,404 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Johnson City
Johnson City, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 87 students
TC Beauty
Johnson City, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 100 students
Milligan University
Milligan, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 818 students
Emory & Henry University
Emory, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,078 students
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, TN · Public · Bachelor's · 10,004 students
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.














