Fisk University is a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee, founded in 1866 and affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
Fisk University is located at 1000 17th Avenue N., Nashville, Tennessee, about a five-minute drive from downtown Nashville. The university produces graduates from diverse backgrounds with the integrity and intellect required for substantive contributions to society. Fisk retains an affiliation with the United Church of Christ, with which the American Missionary Association, its original sponsor, is now connected.
Fisk School was established in Nashville in 1865 by John Ogden, Erastus Milo Cravath, and Edward P. Smith, and was named in honor of General Clinton B. Fisk of the Tennessee Freedmen's Bureau. Fisk convened its first classes on January 9, 1866, and was incorporated as Fisk University on August 22, 1867. The Fisk Jubilee Singers set out from Nashville on October 6, 1871. In 1930, Fisk became the first African-American institution to gain accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1953, it received a charter for the first chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society on a predominantly black campus. In February 1978, the campus was designated as a National Historic District.
Fisk's curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts. The university offers more than 20 undergraduate and graduate programs, including in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Clinical Psychology. Fisk is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, Master of Science, and Master of Arts degrees. The homepage lists a student to teacher ratio of 12:1.
Campus facilities include the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, Special Collections and Archives, and a Library Computer Lab. Residence halls include Jubilee Hall, Crosthwaite, Mary D. Shane, and New Hall, with computer labs, study lounges, laundry facilities, kitchen areas, and Wi-Fi.
Fisk offers First-Year Admission using holistic review, and Early Action and Regular Decision options for first-year students, transfers, and re-admit students. Merit-based scholarship consideration is also available.