Christian Brothers University was founded in 1871 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious order. The Brothers were inspired by the teachings of St. John Baptist de La Salle, the patron saint of teachers and founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The Brothers arrived in Memphis from France with a mission to bring education to all who sought it, regardless of race or creed.
The university began as a small school with only two faculty members and five students. Over time, however, it grew rapidly and soon became one of Memphis’ most respected institutions. In 1902, CBU was granted its charter as a four-year liberal arts college and began offering degrees in business administration and engineering. By the 1930s, CBU had grown to include a law school and a medical school. During World War II, CBU served as an important training ground for military personnel from all over the world.
In 1959, CBU moved from its original downtown Memphis location to its current site on East Parkway South near Midtown Memphis. Since then, it has grown exponentially both academically and physically; today there are over 2,000 undergraduate students attending classes at CBU across more than 60 degree programs offered through five different colleges – Arts & Sciences; Business; Education & Behavioral Sciences; Engineering & Technology; and Nursing & Health Sciences – as well as several graduate programs in Education and Business Administration. In addition to academic offerings, CBU boasts an array of student activities including intramural sports teams, student clubs/organizations (such as honor societies), international student organizations, fraternities/sororities, community service initiatives (including Habitat for Humanity), art/literary clubs/groups (such as National Art Honor Society) and even performing arts groups (such as theatre groups).
Christian Brothers University, as one of the top colleges ranked by major educational institutions, has impressed us by its high selectivity and student friendly application process during admissions. The following tables detail 2018 class profile, including total applications received, average high school GPA, SAT scores/ACT scores, and acceptance rates of Christian Brothers University. To learn more about GPA, SAT and ACT scores information, please follow the links below. If you want to find even more about Christian Brothers University, such as tuition fees and scholarships, you can click the link after tables to visit the school’s official website.
- ACT-TEST-CENTERS: Provides a list of all four year schools in Rhode Island, including private colleges and public universities of state Rhode Island.
University acronym: https://www.abbreviationfinder.org/acronyms/cbu_christian-brothers-university.html
Admissions Stats
Christian Brothers University is a private university located in Memphis, Tennessee and is affiliated with the Christian Brothers religious order. The university has a student body of approximately 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students. The average GPA for incoming freshman is 3.4 and the average ACT score is 21. CBU offers over 40 undergraduate majors as well as several graduate programs including business, education, nursing, healthcare administration, and engineering technology. The admission rate for CBU is 89%, with around 4,800 applications being received each year. CBU has a strong emphasis on student involvement and community service. Over 60% of students participate in at least one club or organization and the university offers an array of service-learning opportunities for students to get involved with both on-campus and off-campus organizations. In addition to the impressive academic offerings at CBU, the university also boasts a beautiful campus featuring historic buildings such as Plough Library and Buckman Hall.
Fall 2022 Selectivity
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2022 acceptance rate | 48% |
| Early decision acceptance rate | N/A |
| Early action acceptance rate | N/A |
| Acceptance rate (excluding early action and early decision students) | 48% |
Fall 2022 Applications, Acceptances & Enrollments
| Applicants | 1,853 |
| Female applicants | 1,110 |
| Male applicants | 743 |
| Applicants accepted | 889 |
| Female applicants accepted | 474 |
| Male applicants accepted | 415 |
| Freshman enrollment | 289 |
| Female freshman enrollment | 146 |
| Male freshman enrollment | 143 |
| Early decision applicants | N/A |
| Early decision applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early decision applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Early action applicants | N/A |
| Early action applicants accepted | N/A |
| Early action applicants enrolled | N/A |
| Total enrolled incoming freshmen who were accepted under early acceptance or early action | N/A |
Fall 2022 Wait List
| School has a wait list | No |
| Applicants placed on wait list | N/A |
| Students accepting place on wait list | N/A |
| Students accepted from wait list | N/A |
Fall 2022 High School Rank
| Freshman students submitting high school class standing | 73% |
Fall 2022 High School GPA
| Freshman students submitting high school GPA | 99% |
| Average high school GPA | 3.7 |
| High school GPA 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
Fall 2022 Freshman SAT Scores
| Freshman students submitting SAT scores | N/A |
| SAT Critical Reading average score | N/A |
| SAT Critical Reading 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
| SAT Critical Reading score breakdown | N/A |
| SAT Math average score | N/A |
| SAT Math 25th-75th percentile range: | N/A |
| SAT Math score breakdown | N/A |
| SAT Writing average score | N/A |
| SAT Writing 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
| SAT Essay 25th-75th percentile range | N/A |
Fall 2022 Freshman ACT Scores
| Freshman students submitting ACT scores | 94% |
| Average ACT Composite score | 25 |
| ACT Composite 25th-75th percentile range | 22-27 |
| ACT English 25th-75th percentile range | 22-28 |
| ACT Math 25th-75th percentile range | 20-26 |