-27%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment fell 27% at Lee University vs the 2018–2022 baseline (2.7k vs 3.7k).
Tennessee · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's
Lee University
Cleveland, Tennessee. 2,712 undergraduate students. 81 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Lee University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-23%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at Lee University fell 23% between 2021 and 2024 (3.4k → 2.6k).
+16%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Lee University rose 16% between 2021 and 2024 ($20.5k → $23.8k).
+16%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Lee University rose 16% between 2021 and 2024 ($20.5k → $23.8k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Lee University earnings, debt, and completion vs. the Tennessee median
Each tile compares this institution to the Tennessee median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$43,222+13% · 6→10y
Tennessee median $38,880$38,082
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry60.7%+86% · '97→'24
Tennessee median 57.6%$19,500+289% · '97→'20
At program completion2,712-0% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS81.0%+18% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time72.2%+16% · '06→'24
latest cohort$22,690+242% · '00→'24
out-of-state $22,690SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Lee University earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Lee University
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
6.0%Median federal debt $19,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $43,222 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Lee University enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+86%
Lee University · completion · 150% rose
33.7% → 62.6%
+201%
Lee University · completion · 100% rose
16.9% → 50.8%
+18%
Lee University · retention rose
70.0% → 82.3%
+242%
Lee University · in-state tuition rose
$6,960 → $23,790
+242%
Lee University · out-of-state tuition rose
$6,960 → $23,790
+289%
Lee University · median debt rose
$6,625 → $25,750
-100%
Lee University · cohort default rate fell
11.1% → 0.0%
+21%
Lee University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$35,600 → $43,222
+25%
Lee University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$33,500 → $41,919
+31%
Lee University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$29,000 → $38,082
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Lee University programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Accounting and Related Services$80,730Health/Medical Preparatory Programs$76,759Business Administration, Management and Operations$65,278Business Administration, Management and Operations$61,940History$53,680Theological and Ministerial Studies$51,854Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology$50,400Radio, Television, and Digital Communication$47,384Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$46,710Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$45,840Bible/Biblical Studies$44,671Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$43,634Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries$43,323Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$42,674Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$41,273Psychology, General$39,475Music$36,124Education, Other$34,307
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
18 Lee University programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
EDUCATION · CIP 13
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS · CIP 39
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Lee University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$111,657
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 21
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $16,890
- HS-only baseline · TN
- $34,600
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 39
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Lee University in Tennessee
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Lee University graduates earn $X” — not “Lee University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Lee University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.