10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$197,528at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF
University of the Cumberlands
Williamsburg, KY · 23 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 21 · Federal debt reported for 13
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$197,528 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
60.8 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−84%Estimated return after 10 years
$48,890Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $13,365 housing and food allowance plus $8,275 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$141,100
$8,000Annual price−$173,100
$14,000Current college-wide context−$197,100
$16,000Annual price−$205,100
$24,000Annual price−$237,100
$32,000Annual price−$269,100
$40,000Annual price−$301,100
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students take at least some classes online.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Town
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
742 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Kentucky run 10% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$14,107Average net price / year
$25,567Cost of attendance
$14,911Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$158/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,890Median earnings · year 5 after completion
50.4%Completion rate
98.8%Admission rate
21ACT midpoint
6,941Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about University of the Cumberlands
What does University of the Cumberlands cost?
University of the Cumberlands reports an average annual net price of $14,107 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do University of the Cumberlands graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $48,890 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do University of the Cumberlands graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $14,911. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at University of the Cumberlands worth the same?
No. The current release contains 23 field-and-degree records for University of the Cumberlands; 21 report year-4 earnings and 13 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
30,378Students enrolled at any point
10,065Undergraduate students
20,313Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
51% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
315 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
52% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$39,961Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$45,255Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$48,629Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income44%
Middle income56%
Higher income63%
Undergraduate student composition
White81%
Black5%
Hispanic3%
Asian1%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$45,499Year 1
$51,882Year 4
$48,890Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Master's Degree$118,2512Business Administration, Management and Operations · Doctoral Degree$98,1003Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$94,1834Educational Administration and Supervision · Doctoral Degree$92,8535Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$76,4526Educational Administration and Supervision · Master's Degree$61,3527Business/Commerce, General · Bachelor's Degree$59,7608Biology, General · Bachelor's Degree$59,702Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree · $94,183 reported+6%vs same-degree national median$29,400federal debt2Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $59,702 reported+4%vs same-degree national median$20,318federal debt3Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's Degree · $118,251 reported-7%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Educational Administration and SupervisionDoctoral Degree · $92,853 reported-8%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Religious EducationBachelor's Degree · $39,211 reported-10%vs same-degree national median$23,371federal debt6Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $59,760 reported-13%vs same-degree national median$21,219federal debt
Comparable colleges in KY
Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Georgetown, KY
Georgetown College
- Annual net price
- $14,095
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,679
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -93%
Kentucky Wesleyan College
- Annual net price
- $17,131
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,632
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -89%
University of Pikeville
- Annual net price
- $20,311
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $48,770
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -86%
Lindsey Wilson University
- Annual net price
- $15,070
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $41,669
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -114%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 23 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Master's Degree | $118,251 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Doctoral Degree | $98,100 | Not available | 195 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $94,183 | $29,400 | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Doctoral Degree | $92,853 | Not available | 99 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $76,452 | Not available | 3 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Master's Degree | $61,352 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General | Bachelor's Degree | $59,760 | $21,219 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $59,702 | $20,318 | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Master's Degree | $54,874 | Not available | Not reported |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's Degree | $52,175 | Not available | Not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | $48,120 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's Degree | $47,846 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Master's Degree | $45,849 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $45,660 | $22,630 | Not reported |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $45,061 | $22,750 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $41,785 | $25,000 | 8 |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $40,751 | $21,750 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $40,699 | $19,331 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $40,093 | $22,782 | Not reported |
| Religious Education | Bachelor's Degree | $39,211 | $23,371 | Not reported |
| Human Services, General | Bachelor's Degree | $37,823 | $22,783 | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $23,951 | 1 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $22,000 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.