Christopher Newport University

Newport News, VA · Public

Official website

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Admission rate

Christopher Newport University admitted 86.0% of applicants university-wide (6,316 of 7,341).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide86.0%6,3167,341
In-state85.9%5,1796,030
Out-of-state87.2%1,1271,293
International applicants55.6%1018
Men84.7%2,7293,223
Women87.1%3,5874,118

Of 6,316 admitted students, 1,140 enrolled (18.0% yield).

Christopher Newport University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C1–C2 · 2023Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1060–1290
ACT (mid-50%)
25–30

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Christopher Newport University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C9–C12 · 2023Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $49,920/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$24,238
Fees, housing, food, books & other$25,682
Sticker cost of attendance$49,920/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$12,461
$30k–48k$12,752
$48k–75k$14,163
$75k–110k$22,776
Over $110k$30,584

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Presidential Scholarship$20,000 per year (Presidential)
  • Provost Scholarship$15,000 per year (Merit)
  • Dean's Scholarship$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • President's Scholarship$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • Provost's Scholarship$7,500 per year (Merit)
  • Captain's Scholarship$5,000 per year (Merit)
  • Achievement Award$3,000 per year (Merit)
  • CNU GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • President's Leadership Program ScholarshipFull tuition, room, board, plus stipend (Full Tuition)
  • Trustee ScholarshipFull tuition (Full Tuition)

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

  • Presidential Scholarship$20,000 per year (Presidential)
  • Provost Scholarship$15,000 per year (Merit)
  • Dean's Scholarship$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • President's Scholarship$10,000 per year (Merit)
  • Provost's Scholarship$7,500 per year (Merit)
  • Captain's Scholarship$5,000 per year (Merit)
  • Achievement Award$3,000 per year (Merit)
  • CNU GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • President's Leadership Program ScholarshipFull tuition, room, board, plus stipend (Full Tuition)
  • Trustee ScholarshipFull tuition (Full Tuition)

Christopher Newport University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections G–H · 2023

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Common Application
  • Essay
  • Official high school transcript
  • SAT, ACT, or CLT scores (optional)
  • Early Decision Agreement
  • Teacher evaluation in a core subject (recommended)
  • School Report Form from counselor (recommended)
  • Admission interview (recommended)
  • FAFSA (recommended)
  • President's Leadership/Honors Program essay
  • President's Leadership/Honors Program interview
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Common Application
  • Essay
  • Official high school transcript
  • SAT, ACT, or CLT scores (optional)
  • Early Decision Agreement
  • Teacher evaluation in a core subject (recommended)
  • School Report Form from counselor (recommended)
  • Admission interview (recommended)
  • FAFSA (recommended)
  • President's Leadership/Honors Program essay
  • President's Leadership/Honors Program interview
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Christopher Newport University · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 1 college-specific supplement:

  1. What about Christopher Newport University has prompted you to apply?250 words · Required

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$60,509
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
71.6%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
81.2%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$25,000
At graduation

Christopher Newport University · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • WSJ: #297
  • Forbes: #302
  • Niche: #464

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Biological & life sciences (14%), Social sciences (14%), Psychology (14%).

Student–faculty ratio: 13:1 · 36% of class sections have under 20 students.

Christopher Newport University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections E, F, I · 2023Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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