Cumberland University
Lebanon, Tennessee · Also known as CU · Website
$57,687
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$57,687
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Cumberland University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Lebanon, Tennessee with 2,104 undergraduates and 712 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $18,759 a year (tuition and fees $27,840). It admits 67% of applicants and 46% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $57,687 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $17,952 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$18,759
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$27,840
US median $11,837
Admission rate
67%
US median 78%
Completion rate
46%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$17,952
About $190 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$57,687
Rank 923 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
- $18,759
- Tuition and fees
- $27,840
- Cost of attendance
- $43,358
- Students with a need-based grant
- 30%
- Students with federal loans
- 19%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $17,882
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $18,048
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $19,609
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $20,333
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $20,917
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 $21,210 in 2015-16 to $27,840 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
- 67%
- Undergraduates
- 2,104
- Graduate students
- 712
- Part-time students
- 6.9%
- Women
- 56%
- Students per teacher
- 19
- Completion rate
- 46%
- Retention rate
- 59%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 60
- Endowment
- $25.9M
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 923 of 5,094 US colleges and 12 of 120 in Tennessee (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $18,759 | $15,261 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $27,840 | $15,120 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 67% | 70% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 46% | 60% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 59% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $17,952 | $15,784 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $52,246 | $34,684 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $57,687 | $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. 63% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 78% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
60 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 136 | $9,400 | $22,849 | $43,271 | $44,125 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 73 | Withheld | Withheld | $45,653 | $49,927 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 61 | $23,000 | $67,094 | $78,954 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 45 | $24,420 | $64,943 | $80,635 | $103,485 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 44 | $19,297 | $35,538 | $60,477 | $68,257 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 31 | $21,380 | $46,294 | $54,166 | $63,707 |
| Public AdministrationOnlineMaster's | Master's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | $60,726 | $81,408 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | $51,366 | $76,194 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, OtherAssociate's | Associate's | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,337 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | $19,125 | $27,023 | $42,713 | $50,706 |
| Education, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,787 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | $45,223 | $51,032 | $55,378 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $25,000 | $23,264 | Withheld | $53,072 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 12 | $23,000 | $50,607 | $55,122 | $65,824 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,706 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,303 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessMaster's | Master's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,033 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,590 |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and HumanitiesMaster's | Master's | 6 | Withheld | $94,126 | Withheld | $100,487 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $86,176 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Lebanon and Tennessee on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Tennessee
- Homes: Homes for sale in Tennessee
Questions and answers
How much does Cumberland University cost?
$18,759 a year is the average net price at Cumberland University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $27,840, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $43,358. Families earning under $30,000 pay $17,882 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Cumberland University?
67% of applicants are admitted to Cumberland University. The median admission rate of colleges in Tennessee is 70%.
How much do Cumberland University graduates earn?
$57,687 a year is the median pay of former Cumberland University students who work, 10 years after they started ($52,246 after 6 years). That ranks 923 of 5,094 US colleges and 12 of 120 in Tennessee. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities (Master's) at $94,126.
How much student debt do Cumberland University graduates have?
$17,952 is the median federal student loan debt of Cumberland University graduates, about $190 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 19% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Cumberland University?
46% of first-time, full-time students at Cumberland University finish within 6 years. 59% 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 Cumberland University?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (136 associate's graduates), Business/Commerce, General (73 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (61 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 60 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.