Carson-Newman University
Jefferson City, Tennessee · Website
$48,382
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$48,382
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Carson-Newman University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Jefferson City, Tennessee with 1,387 undergraduates and 1,073 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $20,251 a year (tuition and fees $34,700). It admits 90% of applicants and 53% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $48,382 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$20,251
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$34,700
US median $11,837
Admission rate
90%
US median 78%
Completion rate
53%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,500
About $228 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$48,382
Rank 1,612 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $20,251
- Tuition and fees
- $34,700
- Cost of attendance
- $49,024
- Students with a need-based grant
- 33%
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $16,672
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $16,446
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $17,313
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $21,209
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $28,621
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $25,360 in 2015-16 to $34,700 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 90%
- Average SAT
- 1,117
- SAT reading, middle
- 535
- SAT math, middle
- 510
- ACT, middle
- 22
- Undergraduates
- 1,387
- Graduate students
- 1,073
- Part-time students
- 3.0%
- Women
- 51%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 53%
- Retention rate
- 74%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 98
- Endowment
- $75.5M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,612 of 5,094 US colleges and 28 of 120 in Tennessee (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $20,251 | $15,261 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $34,700 | $15,120 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 90% | 70% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 53% | 60% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 74% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,500 | $15,784 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $39,324 | $34,684 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $48,382 | $38,610 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 64% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 68% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
98 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 125 | $41,234 | $91,780 | $108,765 | $120,193 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 69 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 62 | $18,133 | $58,386 | $86,617 | $103,485 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineDoctoral | Doctoral | 58 | $41,000 | $70,998 | $76,497 | $100,573 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | $21,464 | $42,904 | $64,503 | $68,257 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $25,030 | $25,972 | $44,311 | $54,562 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $23,000 | $56,509 | $70,769 | $88,910 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | $25,125 | $28,217 | $37,992 | $50,706 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 33 | $27,000 | $47,369 | $53,619 | $59,916 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 33 | $12,000 | Withheld | $35,843 | $44,125 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 26 | $24,250 | $56,458 | $67,411 | $71,685 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $21,900 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 18 | Withheld | $42,054 | $57,413 | $59,571 |
| Special Education and TeachingMaster's | Master's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $64,397 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $24,861 | $42,222 | $45,780 | $51,389 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $26,500 | $43,685 | $42,340 | $47,382 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | $43,115 | $41,390 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 13 | $19,118 | $49,873 | $53,243 | $63,707 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
| Special Education and TeachingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $19,207 | $44,404 | Withheld | $50,499 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,490 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign LanguageMaster's | Master's | 9 | Withheld | $54,626 | $51,940 | $65,767 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,568 |
| Human Services, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | $19,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $48,597 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Jefferson City and Tennessee on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Tennessee
- Homes: Homes for sale in Tennessee
Questions and answers
How much does Carson-Newman University cost?
$20,251 a year is the average net price at Carson-Newman University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $34,700, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $49,024. Families earning under $30,000 pay $16,672 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Carson-Newman University?
90% of applicants are admitted to Carson-Newman University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,117 and the middle ACT score is 22. The median admission rate of colleges in Tennessee is 70%.
How much do Carson-Newman University graduates earn?
$48,382 a year is the median pay of former Carson-Newman University students who work, 10 years after they started ($39,324 after 6 years). That ranks 1,612 of 5,094 US colleges and 28 of 120 in Tennessee. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $91,780.
How much student debt do Carson-Newman University graduates have?
$21,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Carson-Newman University graduates, about $228 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 46% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Carson-Newman University?
53% of first-time, full-time students at Carson-Newman University finish within 6 years. 74% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Carson-Newman University?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (125 master's graduates), Educational Administration and Supervision (69 graduate certificate graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (62 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 98 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.