University of the Cumberlands Ranks No. 4 Nationally Among Best Colleges for Rural America

University of the Cumberlands has been named one of the Best Colleges for Rural America by Washington Monthly, ranking No. 1 in Kentucky and No. 4 in the nation.

The new national ranking recognizes colleges and universities creating educational and economic opportunities in rural America.

“To me, this ranking is evidence that Cumberlands is fulfilling its mission,” said Dr. Trey Jarboe, executive vice president for student experience at Cumberlands. “We are providing a high-quality education that is both affordable and accessible, and we are using that education to transform lives.”

To create its Best Colleges for Rural America ranking, Washington Monthly evaluated rural colleges on measures including affordability, student debt, graduate earnings, enrollment of in-state and Pell-eligible students, and preparation for careers that are in high demand in rural areas. The ranking also considers whether graduates remain in the state after college.  

An Education Close to Home

University of the Cumberlands has been educating students in the Appalachian hills of Williamsburg, Kentucky, since 1888. Serving students from the region remains central to its mission today.

As of fall 2025, 66 percent of Cumberlands undergraduate students and 22 percent of graduate students were identified by the university as Appalachian. Among main campus undergraduate students, 65 percent were from Kentucky.

For rural students, having a college nearby can be a deciding factor in whether they pursue higher education. Washington Monthly notes that two-thirds of U.S. college students attend an institution within 25 miles of home. University of the Cumberlands provides an educational opportunity within reach of students in Williamsburg and surrounding Kentucky communities.

Jarboe knows firsthand the value of having that opportunity close to home.

“When I came to Cumberlands, I was not ready to leave home,” he said. “Having a strong university that was close by gave me an opportunity I am not sure I would have had otherwise.”

A Whitley County native, Jarboe came to Cumberlands as a first-generation college student. He went on to become a three-time graduate, earning a B.S. in 2013, an M.J.A. in 2013, and a Ph.D. in 2015.

Cumberlands gives local students an opportunity to expand their knowledge and build successful lives without requiring them to disconnect from the people and places they call home.

Preparing Students for Careers Rural Communities Need

Access to higher education is only part of what Washington Monthly measured in its methodology. The ranking also gives additional credit to colleges that graduate students in fields that are in high demand but in short supply in rural areas, including education and health professions.

Both are areas where the Cumberlands prepares significant numbers of graduates.

According to Cumberlands' 2025-26 conferral and awards data, elementary education and RN to BSN were among the university's five largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Cumberlands awarded 146 degrees in elementary education and 80 RN to BSN degrees during the academic year.

Eli Dunn, a current junior, is one of many local students preparing to enter a high-demand field. 

Dunn is from Corbin, Kentucky, a neighboring community just a short drive from Cumberlands' Williamsburg campus. He is studying elementary education and preparing for a role that Washington Monthly specifically identifies as important to rural communities. So far, Dunn says the education program has challenged him while giving him confidence that he will be prepared to serve his future students well.

“The education program here is hard and will challenge you, preparing you for all situations in a classroom,” Dunn said. “This has made me confident that I can help lead a class when needed and will be fit to teach when my time comes.”

For Dunn, Cumberlands offers an opportunity to prepare for a needed career without having to leave the community he calls home.  

Making College Affordable

Affordability plays a significant role in the Best Colleges for Rural America ranking, with Washington Monthly considering measures including net price and student loan debt.

Keeping college affordable has long been a priority at Cumberlands. Through initiatives such as the One Price Promise, Cumberlands works to make college costs more transparent by including tuition, textbooks and course materials, and essential fees in one rate.

Additionally, the Cumberlands Commitment uses a combination of scholarships and zero-interest, forgivable loans to ensure main campus undergraduate students pay, on average, no more than $4,000 per year.

Those affordability efforts lead to tangible results. As of the 2025-2026 academic year, one in four main campus undergraduate students at Cumberlands graduated debt-free.

The university was also ranked No. 1 in Kentucky for social mobility in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, another measure of its efforts to make higher education both accessible and transformative.

For Dunn, affordability has made a real difference, even before graduation.

“I expected college to be really expensive, and I worried about how I'd pay it all,” he said. “Cumberlands, however, is extremely affordable. I can have a true college experience and focus on my academic goals and future without a financial burden. It's truly a blessing.”

His experience reflects several factors behind Cumberlands' Best Colleges for Rural America ranking: a local student attending college close to home, preparing for a profession that rural communities need, at a cost that allows him to focus on reaching his goal.  

A Student-First Approach

Access and affordability can help students get to college, but what happens once they get here matters just as much.

In its coverage of the new ranking, Washington Monthly specifically highlighted Cumberlands' approach to student support and reported that the university has the third-highest graduation rate among the top 10 colleges on its Best Colleges for Rural America list.

The magazine also highlighted Cumberlands' student success coordinator resource. Students, whether studying on campus or online, are assigned a success coordinator who can help them navigate challenges and connect with resources across the university.

“At Cumberlands, we walk alongside our students,” Jarboe explained. “We help them navigate challenges, remove unnecessary barriers, and continue moving toward graduation.”

It's a student-first environment that Jarboe benefited from himself. 

“Cumberlands opened doors for me. When I first enrolled, I did not imagine that I would one day earn a doctorate,” he said. “But each time a door opened, and a new opportunity presented itself, I kept walking through it. My education expanded not only my opportunities, but also my understanding of what was possible for my life.”

Today, Jarboe helps create those opportunities for students like Dunn, who are finding their own paths forward at Cumberlands.

Their experiences span different generations, but both reflect why having a strong university in rural Appalachia matters. Jarboe found an opportunity close to home that eventually led him from first-generation college student to university leader. Dunn is now finding an affordable path to a career in education, preparing to serve students in a field rural communities need.

More than 135 years after Cumberlands was founded to educate students in this region, the No. 4 national ranking reflects a mission that remains much the same: provide students with a quality, affordable education, support them as they work toward graduation, and prepare them for meaningful careers that can strengthen their families and communities long after graduation.