Belmont University is a mid-sized, Christ-centered private university of roughly 8,800 students located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee — blocks from Music Row and the country's entertainment capital. Founded in 1890 and rooted in Christian values, Belmont is one of the largest Christian universities in the United States and the largest private university in Tennessee. Its 95-acre urban campus blends restored 19th-century Belmont Mansion architecture with modern music, media, and health-sciences facilities, and the university's athletics teams (the Bruins) compete in NCAA Division I. Belmont's academic reputation is defined above all by the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business — the only undergraduate music business program in the world accredited by AACSB International, and consistently named a top US music-business school by Billboard. More than 1,300 students major in music business alone, one of the largest such cohorts in the country. Belmont operates 12+ student-run recording studios (including Ocean Way Nashville and Columbia Studio A) and offers degrees in audio engineering, songwriting, media production, motion pictures, sports administration, and publishing. Beyond Curb, Belmont has invested aggressively in health sciences: the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine (the university's first medical school, opened in 2024), the Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, and the O'More College of Architecture & Design round out a breadth of pre-professional tracks unusual for a faith-based university. For international students, Belmont offers a rare US proposition: direct access to the commercial music and entertainment industry through Nashville's Music Row internships, a Christ-centered community with active chapel and spiritual-formation programs, and generous automatic merit scholarships of $3,000–$22,000 per year available to international applicants. Belmont does not offer need-based aid to international students — they must document the full cost at I-20 issuance — but the university's intentional first-year residential experience, Welcome Week, and International Student & Scholar Services team make Nashville's famous hospitality tangible from day one. The university is SEVP-approved and hosts students from 36+ countries.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceThe deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$43,750 – $45,310
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Belmont's signature college and the only AACSB-accredited music business program in the world. Home to more than 1,300 music-business majors and 12+ student-run recording studios; graduates populate Nashville's Music Row, Hollywood, and global entertainment companies.
Belmont's conservatory-style performing-arts division, with degrees in classical, commercial, musical theatre, and composition. Audition required for admission; students perform in venues across Nashville.
AACSB-accredited business school offering undergraduate and MBA programs with specializations in entrepreneurship, social innovation, and data analytics.
One of the largest nursing programs in Tennessee, offering BSN, MSN, DNP, and allied health science degrees, plus partnerships with Nashville's major hospital systems.
Belmont's newest college — the first MD-granting medical school at the university. Focused on Christ-centered, whole-person medicine with early clinical exposure.
Design-focused college with programs in architecture, interior design, fashion design, and fashion merchandising. Nashville's creative scene provides internships and studio partnerships.
4 years
The world's only AACSB-accredited undergraduate music business program; a feeder to Nashville's Music Row with structured internships at labels, publishers, touring companies, and streaming platforms. One of the largest music-business majors in the US.
4 years
Ranked by Billboard as a top-5 songwriting program in the US. Students write, co-write, pitch, and demo songs with Nashville professionals and finish with an industry-ready portfolio.
4 years
Hands-on engineering program with access to 12+ student-run recording studios including Ocean Way Nashville, Columbia Studio A, and the Johnson Center. STEM-CIP designated for eligible tracks.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $42,540
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
