by our College Data Analytics TeamChristopher Newport University is a public institution in Newport News, Virginia enrolling 4,365 undergraduates. It accepts 86% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 72%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #292 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 6%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Christopher Newport University ranks #292 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 6%.
College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.
Christopher Newport University was awarded 152 badges in the 2027 rankings.
According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, CNU is ranked #292 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.
CNU also holds the #8 spot on the Best Colleges in Virginia ranking.
See all of the rankings for Christopher Newport University.
Christopher Newport University has an acceptance rate of 86%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for CNU.
About 38% of students accepted to CNU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 550 and 660. Math scores were between 510 and 630.
CNU received ACT scores from 3% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 25 and 30.
Learn more about Christopher Newport University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Christopher Newport University is about average at 13 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Christopher Newport University is 67%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 81% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Christopher Newport University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At CNU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 72%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Christopher Newport University.
In the current academic year, there are 4,365 undergraduates at CNU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Christopher Newport University.
The average net price of CNU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12,461 | $12,752 | $14,163 | $22,776 | $30,584 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of CNU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At CNU, approximately 37% of students took out student loans averaging $6,106 a year. That adds up to $24,424 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 2.7%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Christopher Newport University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Christopher Newport University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $60,509 in their early years. This is good news for future Christopher Newport University graduates since it is 23% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Christopher Newport University make the most money.
Christopher Newport University is an public institution located in Newport News, Virginia. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Christopher Newport University.
Contact information for Christopher Newport University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, VA 23606-3072 |
| Phone: | 7575947000 |
| Website: | cnu.edu/ |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Newport_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/christophernewportuniversity |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/CNUcaptains |
In the latest year of available data, students from 19 majors graduated from Christopher Newport University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 1,088 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 138 | $47,933 |
| General Psychology | 138 | $27,765 |
| General Biology | 124 | $27,901 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 95 | $34,363 |
| Computer Science | 71 | $60,187 |
| Other Interdisciplinary Studies | 68 | $30,108 |
| Political Science & Government | 55 | $37,880 |
| Sociology | 46 | $37,594 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 42 | $19,983 |
68 students took at least one online class at Christopher Newport University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Christopher Newport University.
Interested in comparing CNU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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