Carson-Newman University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Carson-Newman University

Carson-Newman University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Jefferson City, Tennessee (suburb: small), with a total reported enrollment of 1,387 students of which 1,814 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Carson-Newman University is categorized as “17” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 90.5%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,117 and an ACT midpoint of 22. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $20,251, with published in-state tuition of $34,700 and a Pell grant recipient share of 33.4%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $21,500, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 50.2%, and the first-year retention rate is 74.2%. Graduates earn a median of $48,382 ten years after enrolling, compared with $39,324 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 87300.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 62.7% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.