Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) at Lincoln Memorial University

A debt load of $27,000 against estimated first-year earnings of $39,162 creates a manageable 0.69 ratio—well within the rule-of-thumb threshold where monthly payments shouldn't overwhelm a recent graduate's budget. Based on national patterns from similar legal studies programs, this bachelor's degree appears positioned right at the national median for earnings, though the single Tennessee comparison point (Lipscomb at $32,967) suggests the state market may trend lower than national figures.

The challenge here is that these estimates are drawn from peer programs nationally because Lincoln Memorial's graduate cohort was too small for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes. That means you're evaluating this investment based on what similar programs typically produce, not verified results from this specific school. For a field like general legal studies—which often serves as a stepping stone to law school or positions in compliance, court administration, or paralegal work—first-year earnings can vary significantly based on whether graduates pursue additional credentials or enter the workforce directly.

The financial picture looks workable on paper, but you're essentially betting on Lincoln Memorial's program performing at least as well as the national average for this degree. Before committing, talk to the department about where recent graduates actually landed jobs and what percentage continued to law school. Without program-specific data, those conversations become your primary evidence for whether this investment will pay off.