by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking. Due to the amount of income-based financial aid available, many 'high-priced' schools are more affordable than you think.
In This Year's Value Report:
We analyzed 45 schools across Tennessee to determine which have the best value programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Vanderbilt University tops this year’s ranking as the best value (income $30-$48k) school in Tennessee for overall quality. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Nashville, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Vanderbilt University is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,456.
The quality degree programs at Sewanee - The University of the South helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee. Located in Sewanee, Tennessee, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Sewanee - The University of the South a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Tennessee for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,758.
Learn More About Value at Sewanee - The University of the South
Out of the 45 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #3 spot on the list. UT Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Not only is The University of Tennessee - Knoxville a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Tennessee for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $13,492.
Out of the 45 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Roane State Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Roane State Community College is a public institution located in Harriman, Tennessee.
Roane State Community College has the honor of being ranked #30 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,049.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list means Jackson State Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. This small public school is located in Jackson, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Jackson State Community College is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,812.
With a ranking of #6, Southwest Tennessee Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. Southwest is located in Memphis, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Southwest Tennessee Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #25 in Tennessee for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,323.
With a ranking of #7, Chattanooga State Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. Chattanooga State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Not only is Chattanooga State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #24 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,710.
Trevecca Nazarene University landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking. TNU is located in Nashville, Tennessee and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Trevecca Nazarene University is ranked #11 for quality in the state of Tennessee. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,506.
Dyersburg State Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. DSCC is a small public school situated in Dyersburg, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Dyersburg State Community College is ranked #37 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,158.
Pellissippi State Community College landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking. Pellissippi State Community College is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Pellissippi State Community College has the honor of being ranked #34 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,884.
Learn More About Value at Pellissippi State Community College
Middle Tennessee State University landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking. Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is Middle Tennessee State University a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,499.
The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #12. Chattanooga, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is ranked #13 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,058.
Learn More About Value at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Volunteer State Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #13. VSCC is a public institution located in Gallatin, Tennessee.
Not only is Volunteer State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #35 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,488.
With a ranking of #14, Walters State Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. WSCC is located in Morristown, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Walters State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #43 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,115.
Nashville State Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. Nashville State Community College is a public institution located in Nashville, Tennessee.
Not only is Nashville State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #38 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,890.
East Tennessee State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. East Tennessee State University is a fairly large public school located in Johnson City, Tennessee.
East Tennessee State University has the honor of being ranked #12 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $12,211.
With a ranking of #17, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. University of Memphis is a large public school located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Not only is University of Memphis a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $12,495.
Northeast State Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking. Located in Blountville, Tennessee, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Not only is Northeast State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #40 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,933.
With a ranking of #19, Tennessee Technological University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. Located in Cookeville, Tennessee, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Tennessee Technological University has the honor of being ranked #14 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,166.
With a ranking of #20, Columbia State Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. Columbia State Community College is located in Columbia, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Columbia State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #36 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,361.
Bryan College - Dayton did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #21. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Dayton, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Bryan College - Dayton is ranked #18 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $12,031.
Tennessee Wesleyan University landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking. TWU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Athens, Tennessee.
Tennessee Wesleyan University has the honor of being ranked #29 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,373.
Motlow State Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking. Motlow is located in Tullahoma, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Motlow State Community College is ranked #33 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,996.
With a ranking of #24, The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee list. Martin, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is The University of Tennessee - Martin a great value, but it is also ranked #31 in Tennessee for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,537.
Read full value report on The University of Tennessee - Martin
Carson - Newman University landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Tennessee ranking. Carson - Newman is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
Carson - Newman University has the honor of being ranked #19 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $12,947.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.