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

10 Ranked Colleges
631 Degrees Awarded
$13,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Education is the 28th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Tennessee, there were 631 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The general education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #1 spot on the list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 9 ’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $3,156 for tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at Vanderbilt University

#2

Christian Brothers University

Memphis, Tennessee

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Christian Brothers University landed the #2 spot on the list. Christian Brothers University is a small school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 22 ’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Christian Brothers also made our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Christian Brothers University is $9,496 for tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Education at Christian Brothers

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 57 ’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Knoxville, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $10,224 for tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville General Education Report

#4

Maryville College

Maryville, Tennessee
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Maryville College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. Maryville College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Maryville, Tennessee. It awarded 7 ’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Maryville College has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $14,150 for Tennessee General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Maryville College.

Read full report on General Education at Maryville College

#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 General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Clarksville, Tennessee, this fairly large public school handed out 46 degrees to qualified ’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Austin Peay State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Austin Peay State University is $10,909 for tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Education at Austin Peay State University

#6

Tusculum University

Greeneville, Tennessee

Tusculum University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Tusculum is located in Greeneville, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 ’s general education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tusculum, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tusculum is $13,752 for tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Education at Tusculum

#7

Milligan University

Milligan College, Tennessee

With a ranking of #7, Milligan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Milligan is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milligan College, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Milligan also made our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Milligan University is $14,089 for Tennessee General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about General Education at Milligan University

#8

Bethel University

McKenzie, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Bethel University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bethel University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in McKenzie, Tennessee. It awarded 26 ’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bethel has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bethel is $14,339 for tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Education at Bethel

#9

Cumberland University

Lebanon, Tennessee

Cumberland University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Lebanon, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 22 degrees to qualified ’s general education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CU is $21,979 for Tennessee General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full CU General Education Report

#10

Union University

Jackson, Tennessee

Union University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Jackson, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified ’s general education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Union has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Union is $26,079 for tennessee general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Union General Education Report

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 KOKUYO.

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