🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $14,107/yr.

✅ Best for

  • Students drawn to Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Doctoral/Professional Universities
Total enrollment
6,941
20,000 and above
In-state tuition
$9,875
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$9,875
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
71.4%
Accessible
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$45,036
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$39,046
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,036
4-year completion
50%
Median debt (completers)
$14,911
Cost of attendance
$25,567
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
53%

💰 True ROI

8.0× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$56,428
$14,107/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$45,840
vs sticker $102,268
10-yr earnings total
$450,360
$45,036/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.3 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At University of the Cumberlands, the average net price is $14,107/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$10,736/yr
Family income $30-48k
$11,147/yr
Family income $48-75k
$12,572/yr
Family income $75-110k
$16,441/yr
Family income $110k+
$18,846/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use University of the Cumberlands's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from University of the Cumberlands →

Opens on University of the Cumberlands's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at University of the Cumberlands

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what University of the Cumberlands actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
215 degrees · 29.5%
Typical career outcomes
Management Analyst $99k Marketing Specialist $75k HR Specialist $68k
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
191 degrees · 26.2%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Psychology
126 degrees · 17.3%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Health Professions
102 degrees · 14.0%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
5. Education
95 degrees · 13.0%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at University of the Cumberlands

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 84 $81,012 $94,183
Business/Commerce, General. Bachelor's Degree 175 $46,242 $59,760
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 59 $27,786 $59,702
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. Bachelor's Degree 90 $31,401 $45,660
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. Bachelor's Degree 67 $21,137 $45,061
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 82 $37,564 $41,785
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 130 $36,913 $40,751
Communication and Media Studies. Bachelor's Degree 19 $27,754 $40,699
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. Bachelor's Degree 97 $35,470 $40,093
Religious Education. Bachelor's Degree 44 $39,211

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at University of the Cumberlands

CS degrees (annual)
74
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

University of the Cumberlands vs. another college

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