---
title: Carson-Newman University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Jefferson City, TN
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Carson-Newman University

Jefferson City, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $48,382 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $30,972 – $68,441 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $14,519 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $5,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 53% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $49,024 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 66% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.30× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $20,382 | derived |

**53% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $14,519 (≈ 30% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $20,888 to $81,965 across 15 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $81,965 | $41,234 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Doctoral Degree | $63,294 | $41,000 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $50,676 | $24,250 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,186 | $23,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $49,686 | $18,133 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $43,693 | $19,118 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $42,928 | $27,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,153 | $26,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,221 | $21,464 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,689 | $24,861 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,224 | $25,030 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,227 | $19,235 |
| Religion/Religious Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,872 | not reported |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,310 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,888 | $25,125 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Carson-Newman University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?219806

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/carson-newman-university-tn.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`