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2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

30 Ranked Colleges
1,556 Degrees Awarded
$12,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor's in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Education is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 310,601 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,887 and had an average of $30,244 in loans still to pay off.

Across Tennessee, there were 5,271 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,556 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 30 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the education 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 Education Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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 Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Education (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanderbilt University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 56 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $3,156 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Vanderbilt University Education Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga landed the #2 spot on the list. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is a fairly large public school situated in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It awarded 131 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Chattanooga has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is $8,108 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Education at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

#3

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and it awarded 139 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Middle Tennessee State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Middle Tennessee State University is $8,919 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Middle Tennessee State University Education Report

#4

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee Technological University landed the #4 spot on the list. Tennessee Technological University is a public institution located in Cookeville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 212 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Tennessee Tech University also took the #2 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tennessee Tech University is $11,641 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Education at Tennessee Technological University

#5

Tennessee Wesleyan University

Athens, Tennessee
#18 in overall quality

Out of the 30 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee Wesleyan University landed the #5 spot on the list. TWU is a small school located in Athens, Tennessee that handed out 26 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

TWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tennessee Wesleyan University is $10,002 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Education at Tennessee Wesleyan University

#14 in overall quality

The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Martin, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 73 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Martin, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $7,524 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Martin.

Read full report on Education at UT Martin

#12 in overall quality

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, this large public school handed out 26 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Knoxville has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Knoxville is $10,224 for tennessee bachelor’s degree 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 Education Report

#8

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee
#19 in overall quality

East Tennessee State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. ETSU is a fairly large public school situated in Johnson City, Tennessee. It awarded 76 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

ETSU also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for ETSU is $10,632 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Education at ETSU

#9

Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate, Tennessee
#17 in overall quality

Lincoln Memorial University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lincoln Memorial University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Harrogate, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

LMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for LMU is $9,736 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full LMU Education Report

#10

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, Tennessee
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Freed-Hardeman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. FHU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Henderson, Tennessee. It awarded 38 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

FHU also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend FHU is $13,512 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Freed-Hardeman University Education Report

#11

Christian Brothers University

Memphis, Tennessee
#24 in overall quality

Christian Brothers University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Christian Brothers University is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

Christian Brothers also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend Christian Brothers is $9,496 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Christian Brothers Education Report

#12

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee
#16 in overall quality

University of Memphis came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Memphis is a large public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 147 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UofM, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UofM is $10,256 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Education at UofM

#13

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Tennessee State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tennessee State University is $11,015 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Tennessee State University Education Report

#14

Maryville College

Maryville, Tennessee
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Maryville College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Maryville, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

Maryville College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Maryville College is $14,150 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Maryville College Education Report

#15

Johnson University

Knoxville, Tennessee
#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Johnson University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Johnson University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 17 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Johnson University has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johnson University is $13,968 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Education at Johnson University

#16

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, Tennessee
#20 in overall quality

Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. TNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

TNU also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $15,228 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend TNU.

Read full report on Education at TNU

#17

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee
#22 in overall quality

Austin Peay State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Clarksville, Tennessee, this fairly large public school handed out 67 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Austin Peay State University also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for Austin Peay State University is $10,909 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Education at Austin Peay State University

#18

Lee University

Cleveland, Tennessee
#11 in overall quality

Lee University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Cleveland, Tennessee, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 103 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lee University has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lee University is $13,841 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Education at Lee University

#19

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, Tennessee
#13 in overall quality

Carson - Newman University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carson - Newman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jefferson City, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Carson - Newman has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carson - Newman is $14,686 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Education at Carson - Newman University

#20

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee
#3 in overall quality

Belmont University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

Belmont did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $25,980 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Belmont University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at Belmont University

#21

Tusculum University

Greeneville, Tennessee

Tusculum University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tusculum University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greeneville, Tennessee. It awarded 24 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,752 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tusculum University.

Read more about Education at Tusculum

#22

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, Tennessee
#9 in overall quality

Southern Adventist University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southern Adventist University is located in Collegedale, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Southern Adventist has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Adventist University is $19,346 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Education at Southern Adventist

#23

Milligan University

Milligan College, Tennessee

Milligan University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Milligan is located in Milligan College, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Milligan University is $14,089 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Education at Milligan

#24

Bethel University

McKenzie, Tennessee

Bethel University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Bethel is a private not-for-profit institution located in McKenzie, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Bethel University is $14,339 for Tennessee Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Education at Bethel University

#25

Lipscomb University

Nashville, Tennessee
#5 in overall quality

Lipscomb University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 47 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lipscomb, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $20,036 for tennessee bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lipscomb University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Education at Lipscomb University

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 Horadrim.

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