Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Lincoln Memorial University

A liberal arts bachelor's degree from Lincoln Memorial University comes with an estimated debt load of $28,979—slightly above the national median for these programs—while first-year earnings based on comparable Tennessee programs hover around $37,437. That puts graduates at a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77, which is manageable but not generous. The challenge here is that similar liberal arts programs across Tennessee show considerable variation, with top performers like Lee and Middle Tennessee State producing graduates earning $8,000-$10,000 more annually.

The practical concern is that liberal arts degrees typically depend heavily on what students do with them—the internships secured, the career services utilized, the networks built. At a school where more than a third of students qualify for Pell grants, those additional resources and connections matter enormously. Tennessee's median figures suggest that most liberal arts graduates in the state find work paying in the high $30,000s, which covers the estimated debt but leaves little cushion for setbacks or delayed career momentum.

For families considering this program, the question isn't whether liberal arts degrees have value—they do—but whether Lincoln Memorial specifically can help your student beat the state median. Without concrete outcomes data for this program, you're relying on the institution's broader career support infrastructure and your child's initiative to make those numbers work. That's not necessarily a red flag, but it does mean the burden of making this investment pay off falls more heavily on the student than the program structure itself.