Christopher Newport University (CNU) is a public, Liberal Arts and Sciences institution in coastal Newport News, Virginia. Newport News is located in between Williamsburg and Virginia Beach, about 275 km south of Washington D.C. We have approximately 5,000 students, almost all of which are undergraduates.

Christopher Newport provides outstanding academic programs, encourages service and leadership within the community, and provides opportunities for student involvement in nationally and regionally recognized research and arts programs.

Programs Offered

We offer 90+ programs across the liberal arts, STEM, and Business fields. Our strongest programs include Biology, Chemistry and Neuroscience with a strong Pre-Med track, Music and Theater, Business, Computer Science, Leadership, and the traditional liberal arts including English, History, and Government. We offer 4 graduates degrees: Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Environmental Science, Master of Applied Physics and Computer Science, and Master of Financial Analysis.

A few miles from campus is NASA Langley research facility, and Jefferson Lab (a National Physics research facility), which provides students the opportunity to do research and have internships even as undergraduates.  60% of our classes have 19 or fewer students in them, and the largest classroom on our campus holds 99 students.  90% of our faculty hold the highest degree in their field, and there are no Teaching Assistants at Christopher Newport University.

Activities and Organizations

Outside of the classroom, we offer almost 250 organizations. We offer academic clubs, religious organizations, sports teams, honor societies, and clubs just for fun. About 25% of our students are involved with Greek Life, and we offer extremely strong Division III athletics across 24 varsity sports, including field hockey, soccer, basketball, sailing, and golf.

“Lead a Life of Significance”

CNU is an extremely service-oriented campus. Our motto is “lead a life of significance”, meaning that we encourage our students to take what they are learning and find ways to give back and make an impact in their community. We strive to create not only well-educated young people, but good citizens. This year, our students completed over 100,000 hours of community service.

President’s Leadership Program Scholarship Opportunity

 Along with the service, we see leadership as an important part of this. We have a scholarship program called the President’s Leadership Program that exposes students to leadership in a variety of ways.

Students have a leadership studies minor, studying leadership theories and development. Students will attend a leadership speaker series, and hear from leaders in a range of career fields to help them understand how the theories can be used in their own lives.

Finally, we ask them to take these skills an apply them to service work. The hope is that they become invested in the organization, testing their leadership skills and making an impact in their community. This program includes a partial scholarship, as well as a study abroad scholarship.

Honors Program Scholarship Opportunity

We also offer an Honors Program as our second opportunity to earn a scholarship. Christopher Newport’s Honors Program enriches the education of students in all majors by replacing most of the Liberal Learning general education requirements with interactive, interdisciplinary seminars that accelerate the advancement of academically gifted students into upper-level coursework.

You’ll also be encouraged to pursue independent research, study abroad and civic engagement, all of which will enhance your classroom learning. The program emphasizes one-on-one advising and a customized curriculum that supports your personal and professional goals. This program includes a partial scholarship, as well as a study abroad scholarship.

International Life

A global education is an important part of CNU liberal arts experience. Christopher Newport University welcomes students from around the world to be a part of our community. We enroll students from 28 states and over 32 countries, and last year over 300 students studied abroad in more than 25 countries.

International students are eligible for all first-time freshman scholarships, such as the President’s Leadership Program and the Honors Program. International students also receive one-on-one support during the application process, and can participate in a student mentoring program when they arrive at CNU.

Help Transform the World

We study the liberal arts and sciences and emphasize leadership, service and honor. Here you’ll learn how to think critically about the issues facing our world, how to write about them effectively, and gain the knowledge and confidence you need to take your place among the leaders of tomorrow.

You’ll get a great education at Christopher Newport University. Just as important, you’ll learn the value of good citizenship and leadership, and graduate empowered to transform the world for the better.