2027 Best Value Pre-Engineering Schools in Tennessee
[Pre-Engineering](/majors/engineering/general-engineering/pre-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for pre-engineering students.
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2027 Best Value Pre-Engineering Schools in Tennessee
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in pre-engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Pre-Engineering Schools
Leading the list is Chattanooga State Community College, our #1 best value for pre-engineering in Tennessee. Located in the city of Chattanooga, Chattanooga State Community College is a moderately-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,772, compared with $17,756 for out-of-state students. Pre-Engineering graduates carry a median of $16,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, pre-engineering degree recipients from Chattanooga State Community College generally make around $37,252. Set against $16,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Memphis earned it the #2 place for pre-engineering. Located in the city of Memphis, University Of Memphis is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $10,728 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $15,384. Students borrow a median of $26,315 to complete the pre-engineering program here. Soon after graduation, pre-engineering degree recipients from University Of Memphis generally make around $48,890. Set against $26,315 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 72% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
