by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students are not billed the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The total price of attendance at Cumberland University can feel overpowering, but remember that the majority of students receive some sort of financial assistance.
What financial aid options can CU offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep reading for more information. Keep going to see just how much financial aid could be open to you.
The amount of financial aid you can receive varies from person to person and will depend on your family’s economic situation. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Cumberland University.
Financial assistance, available as scholarships, loans, and work-study, is a way schools lower the price of attendance so many students can enroll. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
At Cumberland University, 100% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance (about 667 incoming students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 100% | $24,703 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 100% | $17,655 |
| Federal Pell grants | 44% | $5,229 |
| State/local grants | 83% | $5,609 |
| Federal student loans | 17% | $5,019 |
Gift aid — grants and scholarships — beats loans every time because none of it has to be repaid. At CU, roughly 100% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $17,894 (covering around 2639 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 100% | $17,894 |
| Federal Pell grants | 30% | $5,074 |
| Federal student loans | 19% | $5,996 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $24,599.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $17,366 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $18,052 |
| Over $75,000 | $21,839 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
After grants and scholarships come off the published price, what remains is the net price — the best estimate of true out-of-pocket cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $18,759 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $18,292 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use CU’s net price calculator: www.cumberland.edu/net-price-calculator/.
The median federal debt load at CU comes to $11,250 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $11,250 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $17,952 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $190.32/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
A single median figure conceals how much debt outcomes differ student to student. These percentiles trace how cumulative federal debt is spread among borrowers at CU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,250 |
| 25th percentile | $5,950 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,250 |
Outcomes differ by income bracket, by first-generation status, and by whether a student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,080 |
| Middle income | $11,750 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,752 |
| Continuing-generation students | $10,250 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,275 |
| Independent students | $20,000 |
The Department of Education computes summary indicators that describe debt outcomes at a glance. CU.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at CU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 6609 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $128,373,264 |
The GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the main federal aid routes for veterans and service members.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 32 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $631,053 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $19,720 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 0 |
| Total DoD amount | $0 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.