By Ariel C. Emberton, staff writer/photographer, Office of University Communications

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - According to a study from LendEDU, Campbellsville University ranks in the top 50 schools across the nation for the lowest amount of student debt and second lowest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

“Campbellsville University is committed to affordability and offering a high-quality, private Christian education that families in the Commonwealth of Kentucky can afford,” Dr. Shane Garrison, vice president for enrollment services and professor of theology, said.

“This has been our historic mission and continues to be one of our strongest values,” he said.

For the fifth year in a row, LendEDU has conducted a study and released a report on student debt by school and state. Their report includes state ranking, overall school level rankings, public and private school rankings and more.

“The fact that Campbellsville University has the second lowest student debt among all schools in Kentucky proves that the university is doing her part to help students reach their educational goals with no, or very low, loan debt.

“We counsel students on responsible borrowing when they first come to Campbellsville University and continue this hands-on approach throughout their time at CU,” Robyn Sollberger, director of financial aid, said.

By national standards, the survey ranks Campbellsville University the 46th lowest with the average student debt, lower than the state average. And, CU continues to lower the student debt. Campbellsville University's Class of 2019 was lower by 6.72 percent than the Class of 2018.

Out of the 219 private universities in the report, Campbellsville University is ranked 21st in overall lowest debt.

“Many students and their families have no other choice but to access student loans to help pay for college,” Garrison said. “For that reason, we are doing our very best to make those loans as minimal as possible by offering significant scholarship support and other aid programs to help make college affordable.”

Sollberger said the mission of the Office of Financial Aid is to assist all students with financial resources to help reach their educational goals. “It gives our office great purpose that we are assisting students in making wise fiscal decisions that will benefit them well after earning a degree,” she said.

Data for the LendEDU Student Loan Debt by School by State Report derives from the newest Peterson's financial aid data. The data was reported through a voluntary survey to the colleges and universities listed in the report. Data was calculated by analyzing Peterson's financial aid data on the colleges and universities that reported their financial aid data for the Classes of 2019.

More information can be found at http://lendedu.com/student-loan-debt-by-school-by-state-2020/.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 11,900 students offering over 100 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The website for complete information is fva6.cjpk.net.

Campbellsville University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the status of Campbellsville University.