College Tour: Bryan College

After visiting Covenant College, the second college my family and I visited this summer was Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. Here’s some information we learned on our tour.  

 

The Basics 

Bryan is located in Dayton, Tennessee, which is about 45 minutes northeast of Chattanooga. It is a private, Christian college. They are non-denominational but associate most closely with Southern Baptist. During our tour, I recorded from the information we were told that there are about 750 students. However, looking at their website, it appears there are about 1450 students. They have an average classroom student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1.  

 

The Christian Aspect 

Bryan seems very firm in their Christian faith. While students are not required to sign a statement of faith, the faculty is. The admissions counselor we met with seemed to be a strong Christian, and even in our conversation about admissions he frequently intertwined Christ and his faith. Bryan also has chapel every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00 am. They require every class to be taught from a Christian worldview. 

 

Academics 

Bryan has over thirty undergraduate degree options with a wide variety of minors. Some majors have concentration options as well, such as biology, business, engineering, and mathematics. Bryan’s core curriculum has five divisions of classes: strengthening the educational foundation, developing a Christian worldview, engaging the culture, exploring the arts, and engaging in the natural world. Each division has a certain number of credits/classes required. For instance, within the developing a Christian worldview section, there are 5 Bible/worldview classes. Bryan also offers dual enrollment for high school students to get a head start on their college classes, as well as an honors program for enrolled college students. 

A sample dorm room at Bryan College

Student Life 

Bryan offers 5 men’s and 6 women’s sports in the NAIA division. They also offer four coed sports: cheerleading, fishing, martial arts, and shooting. They are very big on sports and the admissions counselor we met with said that more than 60% of the students are athletes. Bryan also has a variety of clubs and intramural sports, as well as different events, so there are plenty of things to do to be involved on campus.  

 

Scholarships and Admissions 

Bryan offers a wide variety of scholarships, such as academic, talent, and heritage. Their academic scholarships include a scholarship for students in the honors program, as well as a full-tuition award for National Merit Scholar finalists and semi-finalists. Other academic scholarships are based on test scores or GPA. Talent scholarships include athletics, martial arts, music, theatre, and worship arts. Bryan also offers a homeschool scholarship of $500. The cost of tuition, room, and board is lower than many other private colleges, coming out to around $25,550 per year.  

 

Vising Bryan College was a great experience. The staff we met was very friendly and they seemed very rooted in their Christian faith.