Cumberlands ranked most affordable college in Kentucky

It’s no secret that the price of attending college has risen dramatically over the last decade. With the weight of student loan debt looming over many college students (and hopeful college-students-to-be), finding a college that’s affordable is like a breath of fresh air.

College Consensus recently published a ranking that lists the most affordable schools in the United States, and University of the Cumberlands made the cut – not only as a school affordable enough to be included in the first place, but as the most affordable college in Kentucky, public or private.

The organization published Cumberlands’ annual on-campus tuition rate for undergraduate students, which is $9,875 a year; however, undergraduate students, who enroll fully online, spend only $6,600 per year on tuition (based on a 15-credit-hour course load each semester).

Cumberlands came in at No. 53 in the national rankings. The only other ranked Kentucky school in the top 100 was Mountain Bible College in Jackson. It came in at No. 57 with a tuition of $10,060, according to www.college.consensus.com.

Among online colleges specifically, Cumberlands ranked No. 1 in Kentucky for affordability, and No. 11 nationally. Kentucky State University in Frankfort was ranked 37^th and was the only other Kentucky school to make the top 100, according to www.college.consensus.com.

In addition to its affordability ranking, Cumberlands has made other ranking lists by College Consensus as well, such as its list of best online MBA programs in Kentucky, best online master’s in information technology programs, and best online master’s in mental health counselling.

“In most cases, College Consensus rankings are based on the combination of both the Publisher Consensus and Student Consensus components. We combine the weighted publisher rankings with the student reviews to generate a single, comprehensive score for each college or university,” according to www.collegeconsensus.com.

“This College Consensus score reflects the overall consensus among both academic experts and the student community, offering a balanced and nuanced assessment of each institution’s strengths and weaknesses. In cases where a significant number of verified student reviews are unavailable, the Publisher Consensus will stand as the Consensus Score.”

Cumberlands launched online programming in 2010 and continues to offer students one of the most affordable rates in higher education, according to a UC release.

On-campus students became the focus of affordable tuition in 2019, when Cumberlands slashed tuition costs by more than half. Later, the university included free textbooks and removed all fees as part of its One Price Promise initiative for its entire student body.

This created a greater pathway toward accessibility for students in all walks of life. The changes have benefited thousands of students, with approximately one-fourth of Cumberlands’ on-campus undergraduate students now able to graduate from college debt-free, according to a UC release.

Learn more at www.ucumberlands.edu/admission-aid.