Tusculum University
Greeneville, Tennessee · Private Nonprofit · 72.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 21/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tennessee earns a Below Benchmark ROI score of 21. The completion rate of 25.5% is the defining failure: three out of four students who enroll do not finish a degree. More troubling, the 0-30k income bracket pays $20,766 per year - nearly as much as the highest earners. Low-income families receive little meaningful discount here. The payback period of 24 years reflects the combination of weak earnings and debt accumulated by students who may not even graduate. Business Administration (95 graduates, $48,874 year one) is the only program with meaningful scale. The repayment rate of 61.7% means nearly 4 in 10 borrowers aren't making progress on their loans.
How Tusculum University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score21/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate25.4% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period24 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Tusculum University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $29,250/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $29,250/yr |
| Average net price | $21,131/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $84,524 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,367 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $246 |
| Estimated payback period | 24 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 25.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 785 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $29,250/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $21,131/year, or roughly $84,524 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $20,766/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $25,563/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,250, which works out to about $246 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($34,400) and comes to 0.68, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $20,766 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $15,124 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $17,519 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,981 |
| $110,001+ | $25,563 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $20,766 per year at Tusculum. Low-income students at Tusculum face a weak value proposition.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 30-48k bracket pays $15,124 (lower than the bottom bracket, oddly) and the 48-75k bracket rises to $17,519. The 75-110k bracket climbs to $22,981. The cost structure is unusual, with lower-income families paying more than some middle-income families.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $25,563 per year. Tusculum's sticker price approach to higher-income families, combined with poor completion rates and a 24-year payback, makes this a poor choice at full price.
Earnings by Major
Top 6 most popular majors at Tusculum University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $60,973 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $40,855 | F |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $48,680 | - |
| Education, General | $42,927 | D |
| Psychology | $37,934 | D |
| Registered Nursing | $65,012 | C+ |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
The largest program at Tusculum with 95 graduates, producing 1-year median earnings of $48,874 and $60,973 at four years. Debt-to-earnings of 0.554, ROI grade C. Business grads enter regional employment markets in East Tennessee's commercial sector. This is the one program at Tusculum where the outcomes are defensible if you get the degree. The problem: many students who enroll in business don't finish.
Registered Nursing
Tusculum reports 0 graduates in the nursing data but shows median 1-year earnings of $57,543. This appears to be a small or newly launched program with suppressed graduate counts. The debt-to-earnings of 0.465 and C+ grade suggest outcomes for the few who complete are reasonable. If the program matures and adds scale, nursing could become a stronger value proposition here - but current data is too limited to draw firm conclusions.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 51.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 61.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 57.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 65.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Tusculum University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 72.2% |
| Enrollment | 785 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 46.4% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,085 |
Tusculum admits 72.2% of applicants and does not report SAT or ACT data. The school is accessible by design, enrolling a broad range of academic profiles. The 46.4% Pell Grant rate indicates a majority lower-income student body. Admissions is not the barrier - completion is.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Its ROI score is 21. The school's primary structural problem - high cost for low-income students plus very low completion - is not easily fixed at the margins.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tusculum University (this school) | 21 | $21,131 | $44,367 |
| Baptist Health Sciences University | 69 | $11,212 | $72,529 |
| American Baptist College | 32 | $9,216 | $41,216 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Montreat College | 24 | $27,061 | $45,151 |
| Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | 21 | $31,872 | $43,845 |
Who Thrives Here
The data suggests Tusculum struggles to retain most of the students it enrolls. Students who do finish - particularly in business or nursing - show acceptable outcomes, but the 25.5% completion rate means most students face incomplete investments.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Tusculum University scores 21/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,131 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,367 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 24 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 25.4% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 61.7% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $34,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Tusculum University: Common Questions
Is Tusculum University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Tusculum University scores 21/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,131 a year after aid against $44,367 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 24 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Tusculum University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $21,131 a year, or roughly $84,524 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Tusculum University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,367 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,567 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Tusculum University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 24 years for Tusculum University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Tusculum University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,250, against average earnings of $34,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.68. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Tusculum University?
The six-year graduation rate is 25.4%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.