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Summary
Sewanee--University of the South is a private institution that was founded in 1857. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,477, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 13,000 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Sewanee--University of the South's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 36. Its tuition and fees are $32,292 (2012-13).
Among its many unique traditions, one that most distinguishes Sewanee students is their clothing. Unlike most other schools, wearing pajama-like clothing or jeans is not a rite of college passage at the southern Tennessee college of Sewanee—University of the South. In fact, it’s not even allowed. Sewanee students dress up for every class, a tradition meant to honor the sanctity of education. After class, students may need to change clothes if they want to explore all of the campus’ surrounding wilderness. Known as the Domain, the southern Tennessee campus has nearby opportunities to rock climb, mountain bike, and cave. More than 95 percent of all students live on campus, and freshmen are required to live on campus. The campus is also home to about 100 student clubs and organizations, including more than 20 very popular fraternities and sororities. The Sewanee Tigers compete in the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The football team plays on the oldest field in the South. Sewanee has 36 majors, and writing as a skill is stressed in all of them. Each summer, the school hosts the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, a congregation of esteemed authors and journalists. Nearly half the student body studies abroad doing their college tenure, and, for shorter trips within Tennessee, the campus is a 45-minute drive from Chattanooga and 90 minutes from Nashville.
The university was founded and is still governed by dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and is the only school in the country to bear this distinction. Sewanee has a School of Theology, and is open to all faiths. Students with high GPAs are inducted into the Order of the Gownsmen and receive priority selection for dorm rooms and classes. Notable alumni of Sewanee include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham, National Geographic photographer Stephen Alvarez, and dozens of esteemed clergymen such as former Presiding Bishops of the Episcopal Church The Most Rev. Edmond Browning and The Most Rev. John Maury Allin.
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The University of the South, known familiarly as Sewanee by its students, faculty, alumni and friends, offers an unmatched educational experience characterized by serious intellectual engagement between faculty and students. Relationships that begin in the classroom extend to all facets of life here, and it is not unusual for students and faculty members to work shoulder to shoulder on research projects and journal articles, to meet for dinner or coffee at a local eatery, or to serve together as members of the University orchestra or volunteer fire department. In these ways, the Sewanee experience prepares its students for lives of integrity, achievement and service. The College of Arts and Sciences at the University has graduated 25 Rhodes Scholars (a record unmatched by all but a handful of institutions), 40 Watson Fellows, and 27 NCAA Postgraduate Scholars. The institution's School of Theology has added to its alumni ranks countless bishops, including three of the last four presiding bishops of the Episcopal Church. The University is located atop the Cumberland Plateau between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sewanee's physical environment, which includes a 13,000-acre campus, provides an outstanding place for study, reflection, and recreation-and an unparalleled outdoor laboratory for environmental and other science classes. Over its history, Sewanee has become a meeting place for some of America's most respected literary figures. It is home to the Sewanee Writers Conference, the Sewanee Review (the nation's longest continuously published literary quarterly), and holds the copyrights to Tennessee Williams' body of work, which was left to the school by the playwright. |
General Information
| School type | private, coed college |
| Year founded | 1857 |
| Religious affiliation | Episcopal |
| Academic calendar | semester |
| Setting | rural |
| 2011 Endowment | $318,709,539 |
Applying
When applying to Sewanee--University of the South, it's important to note the application deadline is February 1, and the early action deadline and the early decision deadline are December 1 and November 15, respectively. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due March 1. The application fee at Sewanee--University of the South is $45. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 61.4 percent and an early acceptance rate of 79.0 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2011 acceptance rate | 61.4% |
| Application deadline | February 1 |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | March 1 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at Sewanee--University of the South is 10:1, and the school has 68.9 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Sewanee--University of the South include: Social Sciences; English Language and Literature/Letters; Psychology; Visual and Performing Arts; and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 88.2 percent.
Student Life
Sewanee--University of the South has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,477, with a gender distribution of 49.0 percent male students and 51.0 percent female students. At this school, 95.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 5.0 percent of students live off campus. Sewanee--University of the South is part of the NCAA III athletic conference.
| Total enrollment | 1,557 |
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| Collegiate athletic association | NCAA III |
Campus Info & Services
Sewanee--University of the South offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, day care, health service, and health insurance. Sewanee--University of the South also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Sewanee--University of the South, 75 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Sewanee--University of the South.
| Students who have cars on campus | 75% |
| Health insurance offered | Yes |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | No |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
At Sewanee--University of the South, 23.1 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $19,915.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| Tuition and fees | $32,292 (2012-13) |
| Room and board | $9,226 (2012-13) |
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* Overview details based on 2011 data
