Carson-Newman ranked among top universities in the nation

^{Students, from left, Jazlyn Verner, a junior from Memphis, Tigist Maxson, a sophomore from Lynchburg, Va., Faith Marable, a junior from Murfreesboro, and Michaela Goodman, a sophomore from Athens, show their school spirit with the University’s “talons up” gesture. U.S. News & World Report ranked Carson-Newman among the top universities in the nation for 2021.}

(Sept. 14, 2020) JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — U.S. News & World Report placed Carson-Newman University among the top universities in the nation on their 2021 Best Colleges Rankings.

Moreover, Carson-Newman ranked among the top 10 in the state overall and was the second-highest ranking in Tennessee for social mobility — indicating that a high percentage of Carson-Newman students who come from low-income households graduate with a degree.

“Our mission is to equip all of our students to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives, no matter their economic circumstances,” President Charles A. Fowler said. “These rankings are affirmation of the academic rigor reflected in every discipline of our Christ-centered education. Carson-Newman’s graduates enter the world as critical thinkers and servant-leaders who are prepared to realize their full potential.”

Many universities of C-N’s size only place among U.S. News & World Report’s regional rankings. Carson-Newman’s placement on the top “2021 National Universities” list reflects that the University offers the full range of academic programs.

This category — topped this year by Princeton, Harvard and Columbia universities — is limited to institutions with sweeping offerings of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs and those that emphasize faculty research or award professional practice doctorates, according to the rankings’ methodology.

Founded in 1851, Carson-Newman is a Christian liberal arts-based university affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The University is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, among the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and has over 2,900 students. Carson-Newman offers 50 undergraduate majors, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.