University of the Cumberlands

University of the Cumberlands logo
#5455 / #1438
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#580
Most Desirable School
Christian univerisity in Kentucky, U.S.

University of the Cumberlands at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#1438
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
99%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$9,875
Graduation rate
50%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
6,941

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

University of the Cumberlands Featured Rankings

About University of the Cumberlands

According to Wikipedia, The University of the Cumberlands is a private Christian university in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Over 20,000 students are enrolled at the university. History University of the Cumberlands, first called Williamsburg Institute, was founded on January 7, 1889. At the 1887 annual meeting of the Mount Zion Association, representatives from 18 eastern Kentucky Baptist churches discussed plans to provide higher education in the Kentucky mountains. The college was incorporated by the Kentucky state legislature on April 6, 1888. In 1907 the school bought the three buildings of Highland College, and in 1913, Williamsburg Institute's name was changed to Cumberland College. The name reflected the institution's location along the Cumberland River and its proximity to Cumberland Falls and the Cumberland Gap. From its inception, the institution has been affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and its mission has been to educate and prepare leaders for service to the greater community. On the basis of being controlled by the Kentucky Baptist Convention and being bound by its policies, the university has requested and received exemptions from Title IX in the areas of "admissions, recruitment, education programs or activities, and employment", allowing it to discriminate in those fields based on its views regarding "marriage, sex outside of marriage, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, and abortion." University of the Cumberlands sought, and received, a dissolution with the Kentucky Baptist Convention during the annual convention on November 12, 2018.

University of the Cumberlands's Online Degrees

Associate in Applied Science
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS/BA in Applied Science
Degree Concentrations
  • Accounting
  • Allied Health
  • Business Administration
  • Coaching
  • Criminal Justice
  • General Studies
  • Human Services
  • Information Technology
  • Missions and Ministries
  • Public Health
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
AS in Coaching
  • Required Credits: 61
  • Format: Fully online
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Applied Science in Coaching
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Accounting
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
AAS in Human Services
  • Required Credits: 61
  • Format: Fully online
BAS in Human Services
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
AAS in Criminal Justice
  • Required Credits: 61
  • Format: Fully online
BAS in Criminal Justice
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Elementary Education
Degree Concentrations
  • English/Communications
  • Interdisciplinary
  • Social and Behavioral Studies
  • Special Education*
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
AAS in General Studies
Degree Concentrations
  • Business
  • Health and Fitness
  • Behavioral Sciences
  • Information Science and Technology
  • Education
  • Media Studies
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Christian Studies
  • STEM
  • Healthcare
  • Required Credits: 24
  • Format: Fully online
AAS in Business Administration
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
AAS/AS in Business Administration
  • Required Credits: 61
  • Format: Fully online
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration
Degree Concentrations
  • Business Administration
  • Finance
  • Strategic Marketing
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
BAS in General Studies
  • Required Credits: 27
  • Format: Fully online
AAS in Missions and Ministry
  • Required Credits: 61
  • Format: Fully online
BAS in Missions and Ministry
  • Required Credits: 122
  • Format: Fully online
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Applied Science in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Nursing
  • Required Credits: 120
AAS/AS in Information Technology
  • Required Credits: 60
  • Format: Fully online
BAS in Information Technology
Degree Concentrations
  • Cybersecurity
  • Infrastructure
  • Management
  • Software Engineering
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
Associate in Psychology
  • Required Credits: 61
  • Format: Fully online
BS/BAS in Psychology
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Information Technology
Degree Concentrations
  • Cybersecurity
  • Infrastructure
  • Management
  • Software Engineering
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Format: Fully online
AAS/AS in Paralegal Studies
  • Required Credits: 61
  • Format: Fully online
AAS/AS in Public Health
  • Required Credits: 61
  • Format: Fully online
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Health
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online

University of the Cumberlands Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
4,28199%74%50%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does University of the Cumberlands Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$9,875
Average Net Price by Family Income (2021–22)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$13,501
30K - 48K$12,827
48K - 75K$12,889
75K - 110K$15,666
110K+$17,524

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do University of the Cumberlands Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former University of the Cumberlands students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $47,477 a year, and 92% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

University of the Cumberlands's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
26,7387,74418,994

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is University of the Cumberlands?

University of the Cumberlands is located at 6191 College Station Drive, Williamsburg, KY 40769.

How Safe is University of the Cumberlands?

Relative to its enrollment, University of the Cumberlands has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Williamsburg has a violent crime rate of 0.16% and a property crime rate of 0.51%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is University of the Cumberlands Known For?

University of the Cumberlands is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

University of the Cumberlands's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much University of the Cumberlands's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Psychology
#1376
World Rank
#1389
Historical Rank
#533
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #533 in the U.S. and #1376 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Criminal Justice
#1143
World Rank
#1148
Historical Rank
#608
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #608 in the U.S. and #1143 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
Business
#3454
World Rank
#3456
Historical Rank
#909
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #909 in the U.S. and #3454 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Religious Studies
#4544
World Rank
#4556
Historical Rank
#956
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #956 in the U.S. and #4544 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Literature
#3050
World Rank
#3092
Historical Rank
#1016
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1016 in the U.S. and #3050 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Education
#4648
World Rank
#4655
Historical Rank
#1099
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1099 in the U.S. and #4648 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Communications
#4415
World Rank
#4439
Historical Rank
#1168
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1168 in the U.S. and #4415 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Political Science
#5442
World Rank
#5451
Historical Rank
#1276
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1276 in the U.S. and #5442 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
History
#4187
World Rank
#4201
Historical Rank
#1304
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1304 in the U.S. and #4187 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Biology
#5762
World Rank
#5783
Historical Rank
#1417
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1417 in the U.S. and #5762 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Mathematics
#5819
World Rank
#5843
Historical Rank
#1547
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1547 in the U.S. and #5819 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Computer Science
#6652
World Rank
#6663
Historical Rank
#1638
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1638 in the U.S. and #6652 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Social Work
#4797
World Rank
#4797
Historical Rank
#1806
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #1806 in the U.S. and #4797 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Medical
#7211
World Rank
#7213
Historical Rank
#2077
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #2077 in the U.S. and #7211 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Sociology
#6259
World Rank
#6263
Historical Rank
#2096
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #2096 in the U.S. and #6259 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Chemistry
#7494
World Rank
#7500
Historical Rank
#2149
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #2149 in the U.S. and #7494 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Physics
#7855
World Rank
#7873
Historical Rank
#2273
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #2273 in the U.S. and #7855 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Nursing
#5994
World Rank
#5994
Historical Rank
#2345
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #2345 in the U.S. and #5994 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Engineering
#11311
World Rank
#11318
Historical Rank
#2584
USA Rank

University of the Cumberlands ranks #2584 in the U.S. and #11311 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees

Who Are University of the Cumberlands's Most Influential Alumni?

University of the Cumberlands's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Literature. Here are some of University of the Cumberlands's most famous alumni:

Chris Ulmer
An American disability rights activist.
Harold L. Moses
An American cancer researcher.
Jean Ritchie
An American folk singer.
Betty Siegel
Betty Siegel
An American academic .
Virginia R. Young
An American mathematician.
Ergun Caner
Ergun Caner
An American minister.
Bert Combs
An American federal judge. Bert Combs is governor of Kentucky.