Asbury University is a private Christian university in Wilmore, Kentucky. Although it is non-denominational, the school is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement, which emerged from 19th-century Methodism. The university is named after Bishop Francis Asbury, a circuit-riding evangelist and the “Father of American Methodism.” Asbury University is home to the religious revival that went viral in February 2023.
Academics
Asbury offers 50-plus majors across 17 departments. Academics at Asbury go far beyond classroom learning to equip you with valuable job-ready skills, unlock strengths in critical thinking, and give you hands-on experiences that bring your learning to life. The college has a 12:1 student to faculty ratio, and eighty-two percent of the school’s faculty hold terminal degrees in their field of study. They will support you, challenge you to seek excellence, and inspire you to discover your full potential.
Christ-Centered Education
Asbury University prepares you for a journey of powerful growth rooted in Christ. Your learning will be shaped by a uniquely Christian worldview that prepares you to navigate a complex world with confidence, generosity and wisdom. When you join this Christian learning community, you will discover friends who become lifelong companions, and you will begin growing into everything God is calling you to become. The “Asbury University Statement on Human Sexuality” makes the school’s faithfulness to traditional Biblical ethics abundantly clear.
Athletics
Asbury University is a member of the NCAA Division III. The Asbury Eagles compete in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field. Women’s sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Co-ed sports include cheerleading. Club sports include roundnet, disc golf, and pickleball.
Campus Life
Asbury students come from 44 states and 43 countries. Nearly 90 percent of the university’s students live on campus. Asbury’s campus offers all of the resources students need to thrive, from state-of-the-art media facilities, to athletic fields, to a 700-acre Equine Center and ropes challenge course. Asbury’s student-run newspaper, The Asbury Collegian, is tasked with reporting on, recording, and reacting to Asbury’s history as it happens.
Asbury University’s main campus contains more than 30 buildings, ranging from historic Greek revival to contemporary architecture, all within easy walking distance of each other. The Hager Administration Building, completed in 1910, is one of the oldest structures on campus and is listed on the national register of historic places. Since 1929, Hughes Auditorium has been the site for campus community worship. Kinlaw Library, a high-tech information center, was completed in 2001. All of these buildings are located along Macklem Drive, the University’s tree-shaded semi-circle green where generations of Asburians have studied, laughed and prayed together.
The town of Wilmore has five National Register Historic Districts, a downtown Village Green, a 32-acre Centennial Park, and several neighborhood parks. A wide range of activities and cultural events such as art exhibits, music, drama and dance are available through Wilmore’s Parks and Recreation Department and in association with the many institutions, organizations, and churches in the community.
Wilmore is home to the Ichthus Music Festival, a gathering of Christian musical artists and speakers, as well as the Highbridge Film Festival, a showcase for locally produced films. Outstanding music is provided through the summer concert series of Stonebridge and Gospel on the Green. Wilmore is known regionally for its celebration of the Fourth of July and its Old Fashioned Musical Christmas. An arts-and-crafts festival is presented every October. Each November, veterans are honored with a parade through town.
Several locations in Wilmore are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Asbury University’s Hager Administration Building, the East Main Street Historic District, the Kenyon Avenue Historic District, the Lexington and Main Historic District, the Morrison-Kenyon Library, and the North Lexington Avenue Historic District.
The Asbury Revival
If you are active on social media, you have likely seen posts about a revival that spontaneously started on the campus of Asbury University. During a required chapel service on February 8, 2023, students heard a sermon about God’s love preached from Romans 12. Afterwards, some of the young people lingered to pray and share testimonies, and that began to transform into a major spiritual gathering that continued non-stop for two weeks. One Asbury student testified, “Worshipers stayed all night. No one person was in charge. No one dared to get in the way of what God was doing. Reconciliation, forgiveness and healing were in this place.”
Asbury University has been known through the years for its history of great revivals. There have been several occasions when significant moves of the Holy Spirit have swept the campus and reached across the nation. In 1970, Asbury University experienced a significant revival in their student body that spread to other campuses and impacted the Jesus People Movement. Amazingly, the same thing happened again, coinciding with the February 2023 release of the Jesus Revolution movie. Asbury University Chapel services are live-streamed each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 am – 10:50 am EST. You may watch here: asbury.edu/livechapel
Homeschool Applicants
Asbury University has long been a top choice for homeschool families and students of Great Books or Classical Education programs. It is regularly ranked as a top college for homeschool graduates and listed as the most homeschool-friendly college in Kentucky by Alpha Omega Publications. Asbury not only has a designated Homeschool Admissions Liaison, the college has many advantages for families who school at home.
Asbury Academy is an “Early Access to College” program offered to high school juniors and seniors. This dual-credit program enables students to complete their high school requirements for graduation and earn college credit at the same time. Classes are offered on Asbury’s campus or online.
Each semester, Asbury faculty teach Biology and Chemistry labs for local home schooled high school students. These labs take place every other week and are designed to provide practical lab experience for students who have completed or are currently studying chemistry and/or biology on a high school level in a homeschool environment.
Homeschool transcripts are accepted for admission into Asbury Academy (dual enrollment) as well as Asbury’s traditional undergraduate college degree program. To be considered official, a homeschool transcript must include the following information:
- Student’s full legal name
- Birth date (day/month/year)
- Home address
- High school name (If your homeschool does not have a name, simply use your Last Name followed by the word “Homeschool” – for example, Smith Homeschool)
- High school address
- High school telephone number
- Indication of high school type (public, private, or homeschool)
- Cumulative grade point average
To be considered a Final Official copy, a transcript must also including the following:
- Grade 12 final grades
- High school graduation date (date diploma was conferred, not date transcript was issued)
Homeschool administrators can submit a transcript in any of the following ways:
- Email PDF directly to admissions@asbury.edu
- Mail hard copy to:
Asbury University
ATTN: Office of Undergraduate Admissions
1 Macklem Drive, Wilmore, KY 40390 - Hand deliver a sealed hard copy to Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Applicants can access Asbury University’s homeschool resources at this link:
https://www.asbury.edu/admissions-aid/undergraduate/homeschool-resources