A for-profit business college in Bristol, Tennessee that operated from 1895 to 1994.
Bristol University was established in 1895 as Bristol College and operated as a for-profit proprietary institution. The school specialized in business education and expanded to multiple locations, including Bristol and Knoxville, Tennessee, Johnson City, Tennessee, and Indianapolis, Indiana (1991–1994). As of 1989, the institution enrolled approximately 350 students across its locations. The college changed hands several times, with Ron Cosby selling it to Craven Sumerell in 1989 for $73,000.
Bristol University focused primarily on business education. The institution also operated management programs, though these were subject to regulatory scrutiny and litigation. Records from the defunct American Management College in South Carolina were transferred to Bristol University in 1988.
Bristol University fielded competitive athletic teams, most notably a men's baseball team that won the National Small College Athletic Association (NSCAA) Championships in 1989 and 1990 under coach Gerald Opp, and again in 1993 and 1994 under coach Gil Payne. The men's basketball team also competed, winning the National Little College National Association National Championship in the 1985–86 season with a 30–13 record.
Bristol University closed in May 1994 following multiple litigations and an investigation by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The institution's owner, Craven Sumerell, and his wife filed for bankruptcy in 1995. Students who attended the Indianapolis location can obtain transcripts and degree information from the Indiana Commission on Proprietary Education.