Private nonprofit · University

Tennessee Wesleyan University

Athens, Tennessee · Distant town

68.8%
Admit rate
$14,836
Avg net price
48%
Graduation rate
$45,989
Median earnings

Tennessee Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Athens, Tennessee (distant town setting), enrolling 846 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 846 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 69% admitNAIA Division ICold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
68.8%
ACT (mid 50%)
19–23
Avg GPA (est.)
3.17

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

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

About Athens, Tennessee

Athens is the county seat of McMinn County, Tennessee, United States and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area. McMinn County was Cherokee territory at the time of the arrival of the first Euro-American explorers. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
294 miles
Nearest airport
42 miles to McGhee Tyson (TYS) · major hub

How Tennessee Wesleyan University compares

Selectivity68.8%

More selective than 66% · #17 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1090

Higher than 27%

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 35% · #29 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention72%

Higher than 36%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,989

Higher than 27% · #26 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$14,836

Cheaper than 74% · #16 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$20,000

Lower than 75%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment846

Larger than 33%

Percentiles compare Tennessee Wesleyan 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

1,126students
  • Undergraduate84675%
  • Graduate28025%

Undergraduates by gender

846undergrads
  • Women52562%
  • Men32138%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White74%
  • Black4.9%
  • Hispanic6.5%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
846
Graduate enrollment
280
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$39,880
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$52,830
Endowment
$18,064,301

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

Admissions

Admission rate
68.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1090
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
19–23
Average GPA (estimated)
3.17

Cost

In-state tuition
$30,814
Room & board
$9,458
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$39,440
Average net price
$14,836

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)
35%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
33%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,987
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,989
Median debt at graduation
$20,000
Students with federal loans
52%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
55%

About 12% 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
35%
Low-income (Pell)
12%
First-generation
12%

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
446
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
53%
Housing charge (year)
$4,880
Meal plan (year)
$4,536
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
431 (248 men · 183 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 (10)

Soccer95
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)80
Baseball50
Basketball45
Lacrosse40
Tennis32
Softball26
Bowling25
Golf20
Volleyball18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (1,198 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.

1.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

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
$11,609
$30–48k
$11,088
$48–75k
$12,647
$75–110k
$16,043
$110k+
$18,980

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
$55,491

$12,647/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$13,980
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Tennessee Wesleyan University itself, averaging $13,980, which softens the sticker price.

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 197 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)
$45,989
Typical debt at graduation
$20,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 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
$44,741
Men
$48,672

Men out-earn women by $3,931 (9%) 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
28°F
Annual rain
60.4″
Annual snow
3.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Athens, TN US station (1.1 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 Tennessee Wesleyan University

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

Colleges near Tennessee Wesleyan 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.