Truett McConnell University (TMU) is a private Christian liberal arts university situated on 240 acres of scenic mountainous terrain in rural Cleveland, Georgia. TMU is a place where you can grow your faith, as well as your education. Whether online or on campus, undergraduate or graduate, TMU students are given a personalized education where they are equipped with the tools needed for success in the classroom and in life. If you’re looking for a college that imparts each and every discipline in the Christian way, look no further than Truett McConnell.
The mission of Truett McConnell University is to equip students to fulfill the Great Commission by fostering a Christian worldview through a Biblically-centered education in a family friendly environment. The college is built on the belief that academic disciplines in the liberal arts can be taught within the context of the Christian faith in order to provide young people with a high quality education which emphasizes what matters most–principles, ideals, ethics, morals, and values.
Founded in 1946, Truett McConnell operates under the auspices of the Georgia Baptist Convention, and is controlled by a Board of Trustees elected by the Convention. The college was named to honor George Washington Truett and Fernando C. McConnell, two cousins who operated a private Christian academy in Hiawassee, Georgia, in the late 1880s. As visionary Southern Baptist pastors and educators, their pioneering work and influence in Christian education had been well known at the time. Truett also served as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas for 47 years, and McConnell served many years as pastor of Druid Hills Baptist Church in Atlanta.
Academics
After more than half a century as a two-year college, in December 2002 Truett McConnell was approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer four-year degrees. “It is a vote of confidence from our peers that we are providing the best academic program possible,” said TMU President Jerry W. Pounds Sr. The first two bachelor’s degree programs to be initiated were a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Church Music. The institution’s music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
In addition to Music, TMU currently offers over a dozen undergraduate degrees with various concentrations in the fields of Biology, Business Administration, Christian Studies, Criminal Justice, Education (Early Childhood, Middle Grades, or Music), English, Exercise Science, History, Humanities, Nursing and Psychology. The most recent degree to be approved by SACS is the Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies – the only four-year World Missions degree in the nation!
Graduate degrees are offered in Biblical Counseling, Professional Counseling, Theology, Business Administration, Education, and Biology.
Online degrees are offered in Business Administration, Christian Studies, Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Theology.
Standing Up For Christian Principles
Truett McConnell’s academic programs are unique in their approach of grounding students in the truth of the Bible and a Christian worldview even while studying such subjects as Psychology and Biology. For example, graduates of TMU’s Psychology program will be able to integrate their foundation in Christian theology with principles discussed in their psych courses to “admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
Truett has a diversity of nice students, including a growing population of international students, all of whom believe in the Christian faith and are passionate about God’s Word. There are 16 student-led worship and Bible Study groups on campus. Students that attend Truett look out for one another, the way Christ looks out for us.
In September 2018, Truett McConnell University stopped selling Nike products in the campus bookstore after the company started running ads featuring Colin Kaepernick. TMU President Emil Caner said, “We stand for our anthem because we honor our troops and their incredible sacrifice. It is the one symbol of freedom in this country that is apolitical, that represents our desire for a more perfect union. To take a knee is to insult the 200 year history that has given us a DNA of sacrifice.”
Caner, a Sunni Muslim who converted to Christianity, further stated in a press release, “America has sacrificially given my family the freedoms we enjoy today. My wife, who was raised under the oppression of socialistic communism, became a citizen five years ago, joyfully pledging allegiance to these United States and her flag.”
“For Nike to then hire Colin Kaepernick,” added Caner, “a person known for wearing pigs on his socks, mocking law enforcement, kneeling against our flag, and mocking our troops, is reprehensible to my family and to the Truett McConnell family.”
Homeschool Admissions
Truett McConnell University is very supportive of homeschoolers. TMU partners with Living Science Homeschool Study Center to offer dual enrollment classes for high school and college credit. On October 30, 2018, Truett McConnell announced that it is launching a publishing house, TMU Press. One of its first two projects to be completed within the next three years is a K-12 creation-based science curriculum for Christian homeschool students.
TMU admission officers enjoy meeting with individual families and local homeschool organizations to discuss the college admissions process. If Truett McConnell is the first college/university that you will attend after high school, or if you have earned less than 30 hours at a previous college/university, the Office of Admissions will need the following documents:
- High school transcript OR homeschool program transcript with Declaration of Intent OR GED
- SAT, ACT, or CLT test scores
- Dual Enrolled Transcripts (if applicable)
- Transcripts from all colleges/universities previously attended (if applicable)
TMU’s acceptance rate is 91%. Accepted students generally have test scores in the range of 18 – 23 for ACT or 940 – 1,130 for SAT. The current enrollment is over 2600 students including residents, commuters, online, and dual enrollment high school students. Undergraduate students who attend the school and live in on-campus housing pay an annual amount just shy of $28,000. 100% of full-time freshmen receive some type of financial aid.
Campus Environment
In recent years, the Truett McConnell campus has undergone much construction and new landscaping. Facilities housing classrooms, offices, residence halls, student activities areas, and recreational complexes have been added. “This achievement is the result of… the vision of George W. Truett and Fernando C. McConnell, carried through each administration,” said former TMC President Jerry W. Pounds Sr. “We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. Every building constructed, every campus upgrade, and every program expansion since 1946 [has been] to equip our students in disciplined scholarship and Christian discipleship,” Pounds added.
The college is conveniently located near state parks and lakes in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northeast Georgia. The nearby community of Cleveland is home to the North Georgia Zoo, and it is also the “birthplace” of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, where BabyLand General Hospital still has the largest selection of Cabbage Patch Kids available anywhere in the world. The TMU campus is just one mile east of the town square in historic downtown Cleveland where you will find a soda fountain, bakery, pizza parlor, donut shop, and Chick-fil-A.