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2022 Best Value Colleges for Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

8 Ranked Colleges
296 Degrees Awarded
$16,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 14,528 people earned their degree in journalism, making the major the 62nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $31,042 and had an average of $24,628 in loans still to pay off.

Across Tennessee, there were 296 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,900 and $22,800 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality journalism programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the journalism program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Journalism Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

#1

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. Middle Tennessee State University is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 122 ’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our tennessee journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Middle Tennessee State University has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Middle Tennessee State University is $8,919 for Tennessee Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Journalism at Middle Tennessee State University

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #2 spot on the list. UT Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 81 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Knoxville has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $10,224 for tennessee journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full UT Knoxville Journalism Report

#3

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Memphis. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. UofM is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 54 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UofM also made our “Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $10,256 for Tennessee Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UofM.

Read more about Journalism at UofM

#4

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Belmont University landed the #4 spot on the list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s journalism degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

Belmont also took the #2 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Belmont is $25,980 for tennessee journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at Belmont University

#5

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin Peay State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and it awarded 1 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Austin Peay State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $10,909 for Tennessee Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Austin Peay State University.

Read more about Journalism at Austin Peay State University

#6

Lipscomb University

Nashville, Tennessee

Lipscomb University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lipscomb is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 7 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

Lipscomb also took the #3 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lipscomb University is $20,036 for tennessee journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Lipscomb Journalism Report

#7

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, Tennessee

With a ranking of #7, Southern Adventist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Collegedale, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s journalism students in 2019-2020.

Southern Adventist not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $19,346 for Tennessee Journalism students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southern Adventist.

Full Southern Adventist Journalism Report

#8

Union University

Jackson, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Union University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Union University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jackson, Tennessee. It awarded 6 ’s journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Union, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Union University is $26,079 for tennessee journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Journalism at Union

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jfurrer.

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