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2022 Best Value Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Tennessee

24 Ranked Colleges
10,620 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 559,661 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies is the 1st most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.

Across Tennessee, there were 10,620 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,038 and $17,881 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and cost less that 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 liberal arts general studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

The liberal arts 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 Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 24 Best Value Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Tennessee

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k 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 16 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $8,086 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full Vanderbilt University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwest Tennessee Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. Southwest Tennessee Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 654 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Southwest has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southwest Tennessee Community College is $6,444 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Southwest Tennessee Community College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pellissippi State Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. Pellissippi State Community College is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,065 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pellissippi State Community College also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $7,279 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Pellissippi State Community College.

Full Pellissippi State Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#4

Motlow State Community College

Tullahoma, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Motlow State Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. Motlow State Community College is a public institution located in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 923 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Motlow has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Motlow State Community College is $8,649 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Motlow State Community College

#5

Roane State Community College

Harriman, Tennessee

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Roane State Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. Roane State Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Harriman, Tennessee. It awarded 600 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roane State Community College, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $5,718 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Roane State Community College.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Roane State Community College

Volunteer State Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Gallatin, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s liberal arts degrees to 841 students in 2019-2020.

VSCC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Volunteer State Community College is $8,563 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at VSCC

#7

Walters State Community College

Morristown, Tennessee

Walters State Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. This medium-sized school is located in Morristown, Tennessee, and it awarded 631 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, WSCC has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $5,175 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Walters State Community College.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at WSCC

#8

Columbia State Community College

Columbia, Tennessee

Columbia State Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Columbia, Tennessee, and it awarded 625 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia State Community College also took the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia State Community College is $8,161 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Columbia State Community College

#9

Nashville State Community College

Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #9, Nashville State Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. Nashville State Community College is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 670 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

Nashville State Community College also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Nashville State Community College is $9,193 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Nashville State Community College

#10

Jackson State Community College

Jackson, Tennessee

Jackson State Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Jackson, Tennessee, and it awarded 371 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

JSCC also took the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for JSCC is $9,352 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Jackson State Community College Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#11

Chattanooga State Community College

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga State Community College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Chattanooga State Community College is a medium-sized school located in Chattanooga, Tennessee that handed out 539 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Chattanooga State Community College has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chattanooga State Community College is $8,581 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Chattanooga State Community College

#12

Northeast State Community College

Blountville, Tennessee

Northeast State Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Blountville, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school awarded 579 degrees to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northeast State Technical Community College has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeast State Community College is $7,790 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Northeast State Technical Community College

#13

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Middle Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Middle Tennessee State University is a large public school situated in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It awarded 253 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Middle Tennessee State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $14,822 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Middle Tennessee State University.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Middle Tennessee State University

#14

Dyersburg State Community College

Dyersburg, Tennessee

Dyersburg State Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Dyersburg, Tennessee, this small public school awarded 335 diplomas to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

DSCC also took the #23 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dyersburg State Community College is $7,527 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at DSCC

#15

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 35 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Tennessee State University has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tennessee State University is $14,540 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Tennessee State University

#16

Cleveland State Community College

Cleveland, Tennessee

Cleveland State Community College landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cleveland State Community College is located in Cleveland, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 526 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cleveland State Community College has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cleveland State Community College is $6,867 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Cleveland State Community College

#17

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #17, Tennessee Technological University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tennessee Technological University is a public institution located in Cookeville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Tennessee Tech University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Tennessee Technological University is $16,682 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Tennessee Technological University

#18

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee

East Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. East Tennessee State University is a fairly large public school situated in Johnson City, Tennessee. It awarded 133 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

ETSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $16,359 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend East Tennessee State University.

Full ETSU Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#19

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

University of Memphis ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Memphis is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 131 ’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UofM, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $15,287 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Memphis.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Memphis

#20

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #20, Austin Peay State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and it awarded 1,189 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Austin Peay State University also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Austin Peay State University is $16,243 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Austin Peay State University Liberal Arts General Studies Report

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. Chattanooga, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s liberal arts degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

UT Chattanooga also took the #22 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $14,601 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UT Chattanooga.

Full UT Chattanooga Liberal Arts General Studies Report

#22

Lee University

Cleveland, Tennessee

Lee University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Cleveland, Tennessee, and it awarded 56 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k list, Lee University has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lee University is $17,884 for Tennessee Liberal Arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Lee University

#23

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee

Belmont University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified ’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

Belmont did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Belmont is $31,006 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Belmont

#24

Union University

Jackson, Tennessee

Union University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Union University is a small school located in Jackson, Tennessee that handed out 40 ’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Union not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $25,952 for tennessee liberal arts students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Union University.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Union University

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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.

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