Lipscomb University
Private College in Nashville, TN. Six-year graduation rate 72%. Median 10-year earnings $55,541.
Ten years after entry, the median Lipscomb University student earns $55,541 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. The six-year graduation rate of 72% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates carry a median of $19,500 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 0.6 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 68% puts Lipscomb University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. The applicant pool runs to 4,261, typical for a school of this reach. 25% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. 12% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
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 | 590–700 | 87 (12%) |
| SAT Math | 570–680 | |
| ACT Composite | 23–30 | 361 (50%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Lipscomb University →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 72% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. Retention is strong at 84%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. A 13:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. This is a private nonprofit four-year college, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically. 3,270 undergraduates makes this a mid-sized institution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,021 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $27,695 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. The income table below is the number that matters — $20,048 at $0–30k versus $31,265 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 96% of students receive it, averaging $25,553. Federal borrowing reaches 32% of students.
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 · 710 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 | $20,048 |
| $30–48k | $20,009 |
| $48–75k | $24,124 |
| $75–110k | $25,210 |
| $110k+ | $31,265 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 962 of these 3,021 students, totalling $6,059,676 — an average of $6,299 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Davidson 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)