Research brief & institution hub

University of the Cumberlands

KYMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #426 nationally

Data snapshot September 27, 2026Updated October 1, 2026

Azimuth ranks University of the Cumberlands #426 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Affordability is among the highest we track, and the fit is clearest for a student who wants a private nonprofit university in Kentucky and expects to work after the degree. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study, and the degree mix is led by Business and Liberal Arts & General Studies.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — and a subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain.

Access is well above average, and what families in the lowest income band pay after grants and scholarships is well below the published cost. Families in the highest income band also pay below the published cost.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions, and University of the Cumberlands serves a large share of students who are not first-time full-time. A student drawn to Nursing should know it is not the largest program, but its graduates report the highest earnings.

University of the Cumberlands at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate^[1]: 98.8%
Six-year completion^[2]: 50.4%
Four-year earnings^[3]: $51,882

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income^[6]: $12,572
Median student debt^[4]: $14,911
Median Parent PLUS debt^[7]: $11,623

University of the Cumberlands rankings: how Azimuth assesses value^[5]

University of the Cumberlands is a private nonprofit university in Williamsburg, Kentucky, enrolling 6,941 undergraduates. It lands above the middle of the field in the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (71st percentile).

The admission rate at University of the Cumberlands is 98.8%, far above the 71.2% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Retention among full-time first-year students is 74.3%, below the 83.4% median at comparable institutions.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 50.4%, below the 68.8% median at comparable institutions. An estimated 61.4% of students enter as transfers or part-time students, so that graduation rate describes only a minority of the people who study here.

The four are spread wide. Affordability is the strongest, at the 92nd percentile, and access is second at the 84th percentile.

Return is the weakest, at the 26th percentile, with mobility between the two at the 55th percentile.

Affordability is the strongest pillar in the university's Azimuth profile, at the 92nd percentile. Access is also strong, in the 84th percentile, while mobility sits near the middle at the 55th percentile.

Return is the weakest of the four pillars, at the 26th percentile. Cost and access are clear strengths, and the earnings picture is weaker.

53.4% of undergraduates at University of the Cumberlands receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks the university #237 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 44.7%, 5.7 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (50.4%). Azimuth ranks University of the Cumberlands #661 for mobility. Graduates earn about $4,898 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of the Cumberlands rankings in context
Geography	Rank
National	#426
Kentucky	#6
South	#152

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility: National percentile: 55

Access & reach: National percentile: 84

Affordability: National percentile: 92

Return on investment: National percentile: 26

Top-ranked majors

Human Services, General#19
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions#20
Business/Commerce, General#39

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of the Cumberlands briefing

University of the Cumberlands cost & financial aid^[6]^[7]

University of the Cumberlands publishes a cost of attendance of $25,567. Tuition and fees are $9,875 and room and board are $9,300.

Average net price is the remainder after grants and scholarships are applied. After those discounts, aid recipients pay an average of $14,107, which is $11,460 below the sticker price.

Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The is $13,264 below the $27,371 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #114 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 92nd percentile.

The published cost of attendance is $25,567. Azimuth ranks University of the Cumberlands #114 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,736, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $12,572, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $18,846. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,110.

Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $14,107, which is $13,264 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $14,911 in federal student loans. That is $9,288 below the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions.

83.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $11,623.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $169 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$12,572

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of the Cumberlands

At University of the Cumberlands, 83.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans, and those who complete leave with a median of $14,911. That median is $9,288 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $11,623.

University of the Cumberlands posts a median of $51,882 four years after completion, $16,368 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That figure sits at the 23rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $4,898 less than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 37th percentile. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $39,394 on the downside to $75,183 on the upside.

Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $14,911 in federal loans, $9,288 below the peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $169 a month.

The return picture is mixed: earnings sit below the peer median and below the model's expectation, while debt is lower than what comparable institutions carry.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,623. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $169 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt: $14,911
Institution Parent PLUS debt: $11,623

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly: $169/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly: $148/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS

Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of the Cumberlands briefing

University of the Cumberlands career outcomes & earnings^[3]^[8]^[9]

Return is the weakest pillar for University of the Cumberlands, landing at the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,882 four years after completion, at the 23rd percentile.

The comparable-institution median is $68,250 (same type and size), and this school sits $16,368 below. Graduates earn about $4,898 less than the model expects for similar students.

That result falls at the 37th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,258.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,156. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $65.

Four years after completing a degree, University of the Cumberlands graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,882. That figure is $16,368 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university in the 23rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort is 1,017 completers. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $39,394 to an upside of $75,183, with a typical scenario of $51,882.

An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

University of the Cumberlands graduates earn a median of $51,882 four years after completion, at the 23rd percentile nationally. That is $16,368 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #1,092 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,898 less than the model expects for similar students.

The gap sits at the 37th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,258.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,156. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $65.

The program mix leans toward service-oriented fields, and the earnings scenarios reflect that range: a downside estimate of $39,394 and an upside of $75,183. An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide range: from $39,394 on the downside to $75,183 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

Program-level figures bear that out. Nursing graduates earn a median of $94,183 four years after completion, from 84 degrees awarded a year.

Business/Commerce, the largest program with published earnings at 175 degrees awarded, reports $59,760.

University of the Cumberlands graduates earn about $4,898 less than the model expects for similar students. The net price stays below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and the debt load follows the same pattern.

This points to affordability as the clearest strength in the financial picture. The published cost of attendance is $25,567, and aid covers about 45% of that for the average aid recipient.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients ranges from $10,736 in the lowest income band to $18,846 in the highest, a spread of $8,110. Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $14,911 in federal student loans, $9,288 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $169 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $11,623 in Parent PLUS loans.

What explains value-added earnings?

Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.: +$2,258
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.: -$7,156
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.: -$4,898

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

Read the full outcomes brief

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of the Cumberlands briefing

What are the largest majors at University of the Cumberlands?^[12]

The highest-earning program at University of the Cumberlands is Nursing, where graduates earn a median of $94,183 four years after completion. The program awards 84 degrees a year.

The largest program with published earnings is Business/Commerce, with 175 degrees awarded and median earnings of $59,760. Azimuth ranks it #39 nationally in its field, and #2 in Kentucky.

Human Services posts median earnings of $37,823, with 110 degrees awarded. Teacher Education posts median earnings of $40,093, with 97 degrees awarded. Earnings vary widely by field.

University of the Cumberlands has 9 nationally ranked bachelor's program, and the program that earns the most is not the largest. Nursing graduates earn a median of $94,183 four years after completion, from 84 degrees awarded a year.

The largest program with published earnings is Business/Commerce, at 175 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #39 within its field nationally and #2 in Kentucky.

Its completers earn a median of $59,760. Psychology and Human Services follow, with 130 and 110 degrees awarded.

Across all fields, Business accounts for 18.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded, ahead of Liberal Arts & General Studies at 16.6%.

The bachelor's degree mix at University of the Cumberlands leans toward professional fields. Business accounts for 18.0% of degrees awarded, followed by Liberal Arts & General Studies at 16.6% and Health Professions at 11.3%.

The largest programs with published earnings are Business/Commerce with 175 degrees awarded, Psychology with 130, and Human Services with 110. The university has 9 program with an Azimuth national rank and 11 with published four-year earnings data.

Business/Commerce is the largest program with published earnings and the highest-ranked, earning a state rank of #2 in Kentucky within its field. The highest-earning program is Nursing, with 84 degrees awarded and a median of $94,183.

That figure sits at 1.06x the national median for the field. Biology graduates earn a median of $59,702 from 59 degrees a year.

Strength is concentrated: one program carries the national rank, and the highest earnings come from a health professions field that awards fewer degrees than the largest programs. Across all fields, 9.6% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 222 degrees awarded: Too few graduates to report
Business/Commerce, General 175 degrees awarded: $59,760
Psychology, General 130 degrees awarded: $40,751
Human Services, General 110 degrees awarded: $37,823
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 97 degrees awarded: $40,093
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 90 degrees awarded: $45,660

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of the Cumberlands briefing

What colleges are similar to University of the Cumberlands?^[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of the Cumberlands.

Admissions peerCarson-Newman University90.5% admitted

Comparison with University of the Cumberlands
Measure	University of the Cumberlands	Carson-Newman University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$51,882	$53,936+$2,054 vs University of the Cumberlands
Average annual net price	$14,107	$20,251+$6,144 vs University of the Cumberlands · higher cost
Admission rate	98.8%	90.5%

Nearby alternativeTransylvania UniversityNearby option · KY

Comparison with University of the Cumberlands
Measure	University of the Cumberlands	Transylvania University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$51,882	$50,923-$959 vs University of the Cumberlands
Average annual net price	$14,107	$21,913+$7,806 vs University of the Cumberlands · higher cost
Admission rate	98.8%	86.6%

Higher-earnings alternativeOregon Institute of Technology$87,138 earnings

Comparison with University of the Cumberlands
Measure	University of the Cumberlands	Oregon Institute of Technology
Peer earnings · 4 years	$51,882	$87,138+$35,256 vs University of the Cumberlands
Average annual net price	$14,107	$15,706+$1,599 vs University of the Cumberlands · higher cost
Admission rate	98.8%	95.0%

Explore Oregon Institute of Technology →

Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Virginia's College at Wise$9,210 average net price

Comparison with University of the Cumberlands
Measure	University of the Cumberlands	University of Virginia's College at Wise
Peer earnings · 4 years	$51,882	$47,686-$4,196 vs University of the Cumberlands
Average annual net price	$14,107	$9,210-$4,897 vs University of the Cumberlands · lower cost
Admission rate	98.8%	28.5%

Similar profileBelmont UniversityMatched across several measures

Comparison with University of the Cumberlands
Measure	University of the Cumberlands	Belmont University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$51,882	$56,202+$4,320 vs University of the Cumberlands
Average annual net price	$14,107	$33,147+$19,040 vs University of the Cumberlands · higher cost
Admission rate	98.8%	95.3%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026Governed hub narrative September 28, 2026Governed spoke corpus September 28, 2026

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

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

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

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.
Source fields: C150_4
Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.
Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.
Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN
National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.
Source fields: Azimuth rankings
College Azimuth · Ranking methodology
Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.
Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV
Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.
Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations
College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology
Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.
Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios
College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology
Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.
Source fields: Azimuth statistical model
College Azimuth · Value-added methodology
SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.
Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.
Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE
College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.
Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF
Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.
Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR
College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings