More selective than 79% of Tennessee colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $58,363. College Scorecard.
Higher than 81% of Tennessee colleges we cover and 71% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 68% of Tennessee colleges we cover and 52% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Union University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,012 applicants, Union University admitted 1,421 and 323 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1160–1390 on the SAT or 22–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Union University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Union University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Union University took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Tennessee. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $25,839 | $105,682 | 5.4 years |
| $30–48k | $26,181 | $107,080 | 5.5 years |
| $48–75k | $23,891 | $97,714 | 5.0 years |
| $75–110k | $27,841 | $113,870 | 5.8 years |
| $110k+ | $30,373 | $124,226 | 6.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (65% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($53,990) minus $34,518 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in TN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $19,472 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Union University majors, earnings & careers
Union University offers 66 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 15
- Science & Math · 9
- Business & Finance · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Education · 4
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Engineering · 3
Highest-earning majors at Union University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $72,824 | $29,127 |
| Business Administration | $63,234 | $33,333 |
| Marketing | $57,184 | $23,250 |
| Social Work | $46,286 | $39,415 |
| Psychology | $44,056 | $26,506 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $41,226 | — |
Quick list of all 66 majors
- Accounting—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians—
- Bible Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Botany / Plant Biology—
- Business—
- Business Administration$63,234
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science—
- Criminology—
- Cultural Studies / Critical Theory and Analysis—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians—
- Electrical Engineering—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance—
- History—
- Information Technology—
- International Business—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$41,226
- Linguistics—
- Marketing$57,184
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Missions / Missionary Studies and Missiology—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Nursing$72,824
- Pastoral Counseling / Ministry—
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration—
- Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other—
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$44,056
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Institution Administration and Law—
- Religious Music and Worship—
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Social Work$46,286
- Sociology—
- Software and Media Applications—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Studio Art—
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
- Theatre—
- Zoology / Animal Biology—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Jackson
Overall prices in the Jackson, TN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,375. Housing costs 43% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 55 inches of rain a year, 4 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Madison County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Madison County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Union University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Tennessee by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union University | 60% | $27,171 | 66% | $53,990 | This school |
| Freed-Hardeman University | 60% | $21,574 | 71% | $47,485 | |
| The University of the South | 57% | $27,872 | 80% | $64,911 | |
| Lincoln Memorial University | 63% | $20,406 | 50% | $49,956 | |
| Maryville College | 61% | $19,360 | 50% | $49,279 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Union University would cost you $5,597 more per year than Freed-Hardeman University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Union University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$14,405).
- Union University gives aided families $14,451 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Tennessee resident | Union University | Freed-Hardeman University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $40,025 | $25,620 | +$14,405 |
| Books & supplies | $750 | $1,300 | −$550 |
| Housing & meals | $12,166 | $8,540 | +$3,626 |
| Personal & travel | $7,910 | $3,750 | +$4,160 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,488 | −$895 | −$1,593 |
| Sticker price | $58,363 | $38,315 | +$20,048 |
| Average grants | −$31,192 | −$16,741 | −$14,451 |
| You pay | $27,171 | $21,574 | +$5,597 |
“+” means Union University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Union University
What is the Union University acceptance rate?
Union University accepts 60% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,421 of 3,012 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1160–1390 on the SAT or 22–30 on the ACT.
How much does Union University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $58,363 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $27,171 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $25,839 and families earning $110k+ pay $30,373.
How much do Union University graduates earn?
Former Union University students earn a median $53,990 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Union University graduation rate?
66% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 89% return for their second year.
How long does a Union University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Union University costs about $97,714 after grants ($23,891 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $53,990 ten years after starting, $19,472 more than high school graduates in Tennessee ($34,518), so the cost is repaid in 5.0 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Union University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/union-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).