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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 908 undergradsSmall cityOpen admissionNCAA Division II without footballCold winters

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
To the ocean
272 miles
Nearest airport
16 miles to Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA (TRI)

How King University compares

Selectivity99.7%

More selective than 4% · #36 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 35% · #28 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention60%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,831

Higher than 67% · #7 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$22,347

Cheaper than 39% · #32 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$22,750

Lower than 55%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment908

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

1,101students
  • Undergraduate90882%
  • Graduate19318%

Undergraduates by gender

908undergrads
  • 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)

All students
45%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
First-generation
53%

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)

Other Sports97
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)89
Soccer64
Wrestling59
Baseball48
Basketball40
Volleyball33
Softball24
Swimming24
Golf18
Tennis8

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.

4.0reported offenses a year
0 violent a year4.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.0

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
$22,696
$30–48k
$17,677
$48–75k
$18,035
$75–110k
$21,188
$110k+
$27,219

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
$73,762

$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.

78%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$20,713
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$57,877
Men
$64,571

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

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Abingdon 3S, VA US station (12.2 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 King University

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

Colleges near King 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.