Health and Physical Education/Fitness at Carson-Newman University

Graduating with $25,625 in debt to earn $25,972 creates an immediate financial squeeze that's hard to justify, even for a career in education or fitness. The small sample size here (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year, but earning $4,000 less than Tennessee's median for this program—and trailing public universities like Tennessee Tech ($33,170) and Middle Tennessee State ($32,966) by $6,000-7,000 annually—reveals a consistent pattern worth noting.

Carson-Newman sits at the 40th percentile among Tennessee programs, meaning 60% of in-state options produce better earnings outcomes at comparable or lower debt levels. For a private university charging private-school prices, matching but not exceeding typical debt loads while delivering below-median earnings presents a financing challenge. The nearly 1-to-1 debt-to-earnings ratio means your child would owe essentially their entire first year's salary, making loan payments particularly burdensome on a teacher's or fitness professional's paycheck.

If your child is committed to Carson-Newman for community, faith-based education, or specific mentorship opportunities, understand that this is primarily a values-driven choice rather than a financial optimization. The public universities that top Tennessee's rankings offer a $6,000-7,000 annual earnings advantage—money that compounds over a career—at lower total cost. Given the volatility of small programs, request multi-year placement data directly from admissions before committing.