2026 Best Value Sustainability Science Schools in Tennessee
[Sustainability Science](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/sustainability-science/) 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 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find the best return on investment for sustainability science students.
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2026 Best Value Sustainability Science Schools in Tennessee
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in sustainability science, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Sustainability Science Schools
Our analysis ranked The University Of Tennessee the best value for a degree in sustainability science in Tennessee. Located in the city of Knoxville, The University Of Tennessee is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $13,812 in tuition and fees, compared with $33,256 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $22,859 to complete the sustainability science program here. Soon after graduation, sustainability science degree recipients from The University Of Tennessee generally make around $49,826. That is a strong return on a $22,859 median debt. The University Of Tennessee admits about 42% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes Vanderbilt University one of the best values for sustainability science. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,498. Typical student debt for sustainability science graduates is $13,975. Early-career sustainability science graduates make about $77,997. That is a strong return on a $13,975 median debt. Vanderbilt University admits about 6% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes Sewanee The University Of The South one of the best values for sustainability science. Sewanee The University Of The South is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Sewanee. In-state tuition and fees average $56,120. Students borrow a median of $22,091 to complete the sustainability science program here. Soon after graduation, sustainability science degree recipients from Sewanee The University Of The South generally make around $36,927. Set against $22,091 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Sewanee The University Of The South admits about 57% of applicants.
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 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.
