Lee University is a private, comprehensive university in Cleveland, Tennessee, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Lee has emerged as a higher education leader in the southeast, with a reputation for high caliber faculty and students who are drawn to the campus from across the nation and world. The last three decades have been marked by a transformation which includes significant growth in academic programs, student enrollment, faculty strength and diversity, as well as an expanded sense of mission and vision. From its first class of 12 students in 1918 (then named Bible Training School), Lee has become one of the largest Christ-centered private universities in the nation, granting bachelor's degrees along with post-baccalaureate and doctoral programs. This transformation also includes the physical campus, which has seen the addition of over two dozen major buildings necessary to serve students. In Fall 2024, Lee's 3,714 students hailed from 47 US states as well as 48 foreign countries. The average ACT score of entering freshmen was 23. The faculty has grown and diversified to offer an impressive slate of academic programs. While Lee's professional programs are very successful, the university continues to adhere to its longtime commitment to the liberal arts. Programs are offered from six academic units: Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Music, Nursing, and Theology/Ministry. In addition to its robust course offerings, Lee's service learning and study abroad components are key aspects of the university curriculum. To graduate with a bachelor's degree from one of Lee's on-campus programs, students must complete an approved cross-cultural experience, service outside the university in three major areas (environmental, interpersonal, and institutional), and coursework designed to develop cultural literacy and an understanding of the role of service in one's life. These programs have given Lee a leading role within American higher education as a Christ-centered campus devoted to the holistic development of undergraduate learners into adults who enter the world with civility, humility, exceptional skill, and the passion to make an immediate impact in their field.
