The University of the South

Private · Moderately Selective · TN

Photo: Carol VanHook (CC BY-SA 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationTN · South

SettingRural

Undergrads1,607

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate73.3%

6-yr grad rate79.8%

Drop-out rate11.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$56k

Out-of-state tuition$56k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity17.5%

Gender diversity53.1%

International3.5%

IdentityProtestant Episcopal

Overview

Sewanee — the University of the South — is an Episcopal liberal arts university on Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau, built on a 13,000-acre forested Domain that functions as both campus and classroom. Few American colleges have a physical setting this integrated into student life: hiking trails, streams, and overlooks sit minutes from dormitories, and the Domain itself is a subject of study in environmental and outdoor programs.

Academics

English and creative writing are Sewanee's best-known strengths, anchored by the Sewanee Review, one of the oldest continuously published literary quarterlies in the country, which gives undergraduates unusual proximity to working writers and editors. Classics and the humanities generally carry real weight here, reflecting the school's Episcopal and liberal-arts heritage, and exchange programs with British universities let students study abroad within a similar academic tradition.

Campus & student life

Sewanee students sign an honor code that genuinely governs daily academic life — unproctored exams are standard, not a symbolic gesture — and traditions like gowns for certain upperclassmen and academic achievers, along with class colors and formal dress customs, give the campus a character distinct from almost any other American college. Athletics compete at the Division III level; the school was, notably, a founding member of the Southeastern Conference in the early twentieth century before eventually stepping down to compete at a smaller scale.

Getting in

Sewanee's process is holistic and puts real weight on writing and demonstrated intellectual curiosity, consistent with its humanities identity. Interviews, while not required, are taken seriously when offered, and the school values students who will actually engage with the honor code and the Domain, not just the academics.

After graduation

Graduates go on to graduate school in the humanities and law at rates well above what the school's size would suggest, and its small, tightly connected alumni network is known for genuine mentorship, particularly for students headed into writing, ministry, or academia.

Worth knowing

The honor code and Domain culture are not incidental features — they are the reason many students choose Sewanee over similarly ranked liberal arts colleges, and students uninterested in that level of tradition and community intensity may find it a poor fit regardless of academic quality.

sewanee.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate56.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1260–1390 · ACT 27–31

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionDec 1

Early decisionNov 15

Regular decisionFeb 1

Applying