Cumberland University
Private College in Lebanon, TN. Six-year graduation rate 42%. Median 10-year earnings $57,687.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $57,687 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. The six-year graduation rate is 42%, meaning about three in five students who start do not finish. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $17,952, neither a bargain nor a burden. On economic mobility, 2.0% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.31 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 67% puts Cumberland University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. 2,495 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. A 41% yield rate puts this school in the upper range for admits who follow through.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Cumberland University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 42%, meaning about three in five students who enroll leave without finishing. 59% first-year retention is low enough to be the defining risk of enrolling here. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. 32% of students transfer out, which reframes what the graduation rate above is measuring. The student-faculty ratio is 19:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,053 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $18,499 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($17,882 versus $20,917), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Grant aid is widespread — 100% of students receive it, averaging $22,639. About 25% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 667 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,882 |
| $30–48k | $18,048 |
| $48–75k | $19,609 |
| $75–110k | $20,333 |
| $110k+ | $20,917 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 507 of these 2,053 students, totalling $3,040,211 — an average of $5,996 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Wilson County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)