State rankings

Best colleges in Tennessee, ranked by ROI

Name: Tennessee colleges — cost, earnings and ROI rankings
Creator: Degree Dividend

By the Degree Dividend editorial data teamEvery figure verified against its federal source — methodologyData updated June 2026

We rank all 91 Tennessee institutions we profile by payback years — total net cost divided by earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The state's median net price is $15,269/yr (below the $16,902 national median), and its graduates earn a median $39,544 ten years out (below the $43,549 national median). Vanderbilt University leads, clearing its cost in 1.5 years. (Scorecard, 2026.)

$15,269

Median net price / yr

Scorecard, 2026

$39,544

Median earnings, 10 yrs

Scorecard, 2026

16 yrs

Median payback

Our math, 2026

Colleges ranked

degreedividend.com

Tennessee colleges by payback (best first)

#	College	Net price/yr	Earnings 10y	Payback
1	Vanderbilt University	$15,846	$91,565	1.5 yrs
2	Baptist Health Sciences University	$11,212	$72,529	1.9 yrs
3	Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus	$27,267	$61,480	4.2 yrs
4	Christian Brothers University	$9,854	$57,478	4.3 yrs
5	Rhodes College	$28,585	$66,651	6.3 yrs
6	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	$18,976	$60,249	6.4 yrs
7	The University of the South	$27,872	$64,911	6.7 yrs
8	King University	$22,347	$59,831	7.8 yrs
9	Cumberland University	$18,759	$57,687	8 yrs
10	Bryan College-Dayton	$20,614	$54,434	13.6 yrs
11	Lipscomb University	$24,739	$55,541	13.8 yrs
12	Belmont University	$33,147	$55,930	17.5 yrs
13	Southern Adventist University	$24,345	$53,723	18.2 yrs
14	Union University	$27,171	$53,990	19.3 yrs
15	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga	$14,265	$51,151	20.4 yrs
16	Lincoln Memorial University	$20,406	$49,956	51.1 yrs
17	Trevecca Nazarene University	$16,813	$49,378	66.1 yrs
18	Maryville College	$19,360	$49,279	84.3 yrs
19	Middle Tennessee State University	$13,359	$48,541	295.2 yrs
20	Tennessee Technological University	$14,246	$48,501	404.1 yrs
21	University of Memphis	$12,397	$48,458	506 yrs
22	Carson-Newman University	$20,251	$48,382	3682 yrs
23	Bethel University	$12,595	$47,482	no payback
24	Freed-Hardeman University	$21,574	$47,485	no payback
25	Tennessee Wesleyan University	$14,836	$45,989	no payback
26	Milligan University	$21,365	$46,641	no payback
27	Austin Peay State University	$9,735	$44,301	no payback
28	The University of Tennessee-Martin	$10,701	$44,213	no payback
29	East Tennessee State University	$15,983	$44,859	no payback
30	Volunteer State Community College	$7,802	$41,150	no payback
31	Tusculum University	$21,131	$44,367	no payback
32	Nashville Auto-Diesel College	$32,544	$46,396	no payback
33	Columbia State Community College	$4,734	$40,256	no payback
34	Tennessee State University	$15,796	$42,730	no payback
35	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro	$6,631	$40,869	no payback
36	Lee University	$18,878	$43,222	no payback
37	Fisk University	$32,020	$45,454	no payback
38	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hartsville	$7,194	$40,469	no payback
39	Roane State Community College	$4,270	$39,407	no payback
40	Motlow State Community College	$15,742	$40,397	no payback
41	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McMinnville	$11,413	$40,322	no payback
42	TCAT Athens	$12,758	$40,540	no payback
43	Pellissippi State Community College	$4,983	$38,440	no payback
44	Nashville State Community College	$6,777	$38,519	no payback
45	Strayer University-Tennessee	$11,645	$40,092	no payback
46	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski	$15,269	$40,368	no payback
47	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville	$7,573	$38,700	no payback
48	Welch College	$25,263	$42,198	no payback
49	Chattanooga State Community College	$5,283	$37,598	no payback
50	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jackson	$8,472	$38,383	no payback
51	Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest	$9,698	$38,514	no payback
52	Walters State Community College	$5,387	$37,085	no payback
53	The University of Tennessee Southern	$12,798	$38,924	no payback
54	Johnson University	$22,063	$40,596	no payback
55	Cleveland State Community College	$6,384	$36,671	no payback
56	Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville	$15,816	$38,955	no payback
57	Dyersburg State Community College	$4,612	$36,132	no payback
58	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown	$15,910	$38,837	no payback
59	South College	$17,858	$36,642	no payback
60	SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville	$24,700	$39,544	no payback
61	Jackson State Community College	$6,236	$35,224	no payback
62	Le Moyne-Owen College	$7,099	$35,594	no payback
63	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jacksboro	$12,746	$36,449	no payback
64	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson	$14,780	$36,829	no payback
65	Northeast State Community College	$6,864	$34,553	no payback
66	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hohenwald	$12,267	$36,106	no payback
67	Southwest Tennessee Community College	$4,754	$34,071	no payback
68	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Upper Cumberland	$10,865	$35,551	no payback
69	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton	$8,568	$35,069	no payback
70	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville	$20,012	$37,235	no payback
71	Herzing University-Nashville	$20,537	$36,909	no payback
72	Fortis Institute-Cookeville	$23,582	$34,509	no payback
73	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Livingston	$12,612	$33,497	no payback
74	Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump	-$839	$30,796	no payback
75	Nossi College of Art and Design	$24,044	$35,113	no payback
76	Lane College	$10,904	$31,670	no payback
77	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman	$11,148	$31,591	no payback
78	William R Moore College of Technology	$14,957	$32,194	no payback
79	Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga	$23,958	$31,102	no payback
80	Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Memphis	$14,315	$31,192	no payback
81	Fortis Institute-Nashville	$29,039	$32,886	no payback
82	Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro	$18,716	$30,461	no payback
83	Concorde Career College-Memphis	$24,563	$31,599	no payback
84	Remington College-Memphis Campus	$26,572	$31,349	no payback
85	Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro-Nashville	$22,587	$30,461	no payback
86	Remington College-Nashville Campus	$29,098	$31,349	no payback
87	Paul Mitchell the School-Memphis	$18,186	$25,306	no payback
88	Brillare Beauty Institute	$17,894	$24,728	no payback
89	Genesis Career College-Cookeville	$12,321	$22,652	no payback
90	Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers	$33,625	$25,954	no payback
91	Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc	$10,052	$19,913	no payback

College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · ranking and payback are our math. Payback uses institution-wide earnings; a specific major can rank very differently.

Colleges in Tennessee: frequently asked questions

Which college has the best ROI in Tennessee?

Vanderbilt University. It charges $15,846/yr after aid and its graduates earn a median $91,565 ten years out, clearing the cost in about 1.5 years — the fastest payback of the 91 Tennessee colleges we track.

How much does college cost in Tennessee?

The median net price across Tennessee colleges is $15,269/yr after grants and scholarships — below the $16,902 national median. That is the actual price the typical aided student pays, not the published sticker.

What do Tennessee college graduates earn?

A median $39,544 ten years after entry (Scorecard), below the $43,549 national median. Earnings vary widely by school and major — see each college's profile for its own figure.

How many Tennessee colleges pay for themselves?

22 of the 91 Tennessee colleges we track clear their cost on institution-wide earnings above the high-school baseline. The rest need a high-ROI major to pay off — the school average alone does not.