Belmont University

Private · Moderately Selective · TN

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationTN · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads7,137

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate60.9%

6-yr grad rate70.7%

Drop-out rate13.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$43k

Out-of-state tuition$43k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity28.2%

Gender diversity64.9%

International0.9%

IdentityInterdenominational

Overview

Private university on a hilltop in Nashville, built around a distinctive identity in music and entertainment industry education. Formerly Baptist-affiliated and now an independent Christian university, Belmont has grown rapidly in recent decades alongside Nashville's own growth as a music and entertainment hub, and its culture reflects both an ambitious, career-focused student body and its ongoing Christian mission. It draws students specifically for its entertainment-industry programs in a way few other universities can match.

Academics

Music business, songwriting, and audio engineering are Belmont's clearest signature strengths, with direct ties to Nashville's Music Row — the university owns and operates the tour program at the historic RCA Studio B, giving students access to a genuine piece of music history as part of their education. Health sciences have also grown into a major institutional strength alongside the entertainment programs, somewhat balancing Belmont's public image as primarily a music school. Class sizes are generally small, and students across programs are expected to engage seriously with both their coursework and their faith.

Campus & student life

The hilltop campus blends historic Belmont Mansion-era buildings with newer construction, all within a short distance of downtown Nashville and Music Row itself. Campus culture is polished, ambitious, and oriented around students actively building entertainment-industry careers and portfolios even while still enrolled, alongside a visible Christian identity that shapes chapel programming and campus organizations. Athletics compete at the Division I level, though the university's identity centers more on its entertainment-industry pipeline than on sports.

Getting in

Music business and other entertainment-track applicants often submit supplemental materials — a portfolio, audition, or statement of interest — reviewed alongside academic credentials, similar to a conservatory admissions process for those specific programs. Belmont also weighs an applicant's fit with its Christian mission, though it is not exclusively for students of any one denomination.

After graduation

Music business and entertainment graduates move directly into roles across labels, publishing, artist management, and production, aided heavily by Nashville's concentration of the industry and Belmont's direct ties to it. The alumni network is unusually dense within the Nashville entertainment industry specifically.

belmont.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate95.3%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1160–1350 · ACT 24–30

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Regular decisionFeb 1

Applying