College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Cumberland University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Cumberland University graduates earn?

The reported median is $58,091 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is -$10,159 per year.

Federally aided graduates at Cumberland University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,091 four years after completion. That median sits in the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

It is $10,159 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The return is in the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $2,611 less than expects for similar students. That outcome is in the 45th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,946. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,557. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $241.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $49,131 on the downside to $78,954 on the upside, with $58,091 as the typical scenario. These are not observed groups of graduates.

The highest-earning program is Nursing, where graduates earn $78,954 four years after completion. Business Administration and Management follows at $60,477, and Accounting at $51,366.

The spread between the top and bottom of the range shows how much program choice matters here.

An estimated 23.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$58,091
Rank for difference from expectations
45th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Cumberland University reported median
$58,091
Peer schools comparable schools · $10,159 above Cumberland University
$68,250
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,611 above Cumberland University
$60,702

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $49,131 to $78,954, around the reported median of $58,091. Compare the lower scenario with Cumberland University borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$49,131
Median · reported
$58,091
Higher estimate
$78,954

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Cumberland University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Cumberland University graduates’ reported earnings are $2,611 below that expectation, the 45th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Cumberland University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$1,946
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$4,557
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$2,611

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at Cumberland University report the highest earnings?

Business and Health Professions are the two largest degree families, at 30.6% and 27.9% of degrees awarded. Only 8.6% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Nursing graduates earn $78,954 four years after completion from 65 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management is next at $60,477 with 47 degrees awarded.

Accounting records $51,366 from 8 degrees awarded. Psychology is the lowest of the 5 programs with published earnings, at $42,713 from 14 degrees awarded.

Cumberland University awards most of its bachelor's degrees in two families: Business at 30.6% and Health Professions at 27.9%. Five programs have published four-year earnings data.

The largest program is Nursing, with 65 degrees awarded and median earnings of $78,954 four years after completion. Business Administration and Management is next, awarding 47 degrees and showing median earnings of $60,477.

The highest-earning program is also Nursing, at $78,954. Business Administration and Management follows at $60,477, and Accounting graduates earn $51,366 from 8 degrees a year.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$78,954
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$60,477
Accounting and Related Services
$51,366
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$51,032
Psychology, General
$42,713

Explore Cumberland University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a downside of $49,131, a typical outcome of $58,091, and an upside of $78,954. The spread reflects variation by field: Nursing reaches $78,954 at the high end, while Psychology sits at $42,713 among the largest programs with published earnings.

Among federally aided completers of Cumberland University who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion is $58,091. The current release tracks 510 completers for this specific earnings measure.

That median sits at the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,611 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the earnings gap at the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. These figures describe the overall graduate population rather than the results of any single field of study.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $49,131 in a downside case to $78,954 in an upside case, with $58,091 as the typical outcome. These scenarios show the range of outcomes associated with the institution's mix of programs offered.

Based on the program mix, an estimated 23.1% of graduates continue to graduate study.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.