10-yr median earnings
$48,382
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Jefferson City, Tennessee
Carson-Newman University
Carson-Newman University is a private nonprofit institution in Jefferson City, Tennessee. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $48,382
- 10-yr median earnings
- 90.5%
- Acceptance rate
- $20,251
- Avg net price / yr
- 50.2%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Carson-Newman University pairs above-median former-student earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 32%
- former-student earnings, US
- 90.5%
- acceptance rate
- 50.2%
- 150%-time completion
- +23%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Small
Carnegie: Doctoral/Prof
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Carson-Newman University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral/Professional Universities"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
49/100
Carson-Newman University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B-
$48,382
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$20,251
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
50.2%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$21,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A-
77.1%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention D
74.2%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$20,251
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
50.2%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 50.2%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Carson-Newman University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Carson-Newman University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Carson-Newman University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$48,382 Top 32% higher than 68% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Carson-Newman University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $48,382 | #1612 of 5103 | 68th |
| Average net price | $20,251 | #3134 of 5020 | 38th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 50.2% | #2956 of 4858 | 39th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,387 | #1846 of 5462 | 66th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,387
Undergraduate enrollment
90.5%
Acceptance rate
1,117
SAT average
50.2%
150%-time completion
$48,382
10-yr median earnings
74.2%
First-year retention
How Carson-Newman University ranks in Tennessee
State rank among 120 reporting Tennessee colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Carson-Newman University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $48,382 | #28 of 120 | 77th |
| Average net price | $20,251 | #90 of 124 | 27th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 50.2% | #76 of 117 | 35th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,387 | #40 of 130 | 69th |
Highest former-student earnings in Tennessee
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University | $91,565 | $15,846 |
| 2 | Baptist Health Sciences University | $72,529 | $11,212 |
| 3 | Rhodes College | $66,651 | $28,585 |
| 4 | The University of Tennessee Health Science Center | $66,318 | - |
| 5 | Jersey College - Cleveland | $66,087 | - |
| 6 | Jersey College - Knoxville | $66,087 | - |
| 7 | The University of the South | $64,911 | $27,872 |
| 8 | Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting | $62,978 | - |
| 9 | Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus | $61,480 | $27,267 |
| 10 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | $60,249 | $18,976 |
| 11 | King University | $59,831 | $22,347 |
| 12 | Cumberland University | $57,687 | $18,759 |
| 28 | Carson-Newman UniversityThis school | $48,382 | $20,251 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 90.5% |
| SAT Average | 1,117 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 455 – 570 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 500 – 645 |
| ACT Average | 22 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 19 – 25 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Carson-Newman University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$16,672 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$16,446 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$17,313 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$28,621 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Carson-Newman University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $34,700 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $34,700 |
| Average Net Price | $20,251 |
33.4%
Pell Grant Rate
45.5%
Federal Loan Rate
$21,500
Median Debt
$228/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Carson-Newman University rose +28.3% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $14,549 in 2013 to $18,661 in 2023, a rise of $4,112 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $14,5492023 · $18,661
Over the same years, enrollment went -18.6% (1,688 → 1,374 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
56.1%
Female
34.7%
First Generation
Outcomes
74.2%
Retention Rate
$39,324
Median Earnings (6yr)
62.7%
Earning Over $25K
77.1%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 50.2% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 74.2% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $39,324 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $48,382 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 62.7% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 77.1% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $21,500 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $228/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 15 | 279 | $50,967 | $70,769 | $22,480 |
| Master's | 9 | 304 | $66,360 | $108,765 | $25,947 |
| Doctoral | 1 | 70 | $76,497 | $76,497 | $41,000 |
| Associate's | 1 | 44 | $35,843 | $35,843 | $12,000 |
Top programs at Carson-Newman University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$108,765 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$86,617 median earnings
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$76,497 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$70,769 median earnings
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$67,411 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$64,634 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$64,503 median earnings
- Mental and Social Health S…
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
$57,413 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Nearby Schools
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown
Morristown, TN
642 students
Walters State Community College
Morristown, TN
3,591 students
Sandra Academy of Salon Services
New Tazewell, TN
117 students
Johnson University
Knoxville, TN
743 students
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
30,418 students
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Carson-Newman University? ▼
Carson-Newman University is a private nonprofit institution in Jefferson City, Tennessee. The acceptance rate is 90.5%. The average SAT score is 1,117. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,387 students.
How much do Carson-Newman University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Carson-Newman University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $48,382 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $39,324.
How much does Carson-Newman University cost? ▼
The average net price at Carson-Newman University is $20,251. In-state tuition is $34,700 and out-of-state tuition is $34,700. Median student debt at graduation is $21,500.
What is the graduation rate at Carson-Newman University? ▼
Carson-Newman University has a 50.2% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 74.2%.
Is Carson-Newman University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Carson-Newman University is $21,500, while former students earn a median of $48,382 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 44% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 77.1% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $228.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Carson-Newman University
- Compare Carson-Newman University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Tennessee side by side.Browse Tennessee
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.