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2024 Best Schools for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee

45 Colleges
$11,151 Avg Net Price (With Aid)*
44% Discount Rate*

It's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. 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 (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. The amount of financial aid you could receive at various schools, including some with high sticker prices, may surprise you.

See What's Included in This Value Report:

Your Choice of School Matters

After analyzing 45 schools in Tennessee, we came up with our list of those that offered the best value programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.

Our Methodology

When determining the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking, we first look at its average net price, which is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.

To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.

Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.

Without Aid Best Value Degrees
With Aid (Income $0-$30k) Best Value Degrees
With Aid (Income $30-$48k) Best Value Degrees
With Aid (Income $48-$75k) Best Value Degrees
With Aid (Income $75-$110k) Best Value Degrees
With Aid (Income Over $110k) Best Value Degrees
Want to see the list of best value schools for families with specific income levels or whether or not aid is being applied? Click on one of the tiles above. If you'd rather work on your degree in a specific area of the country, you might be interested in our rankings by place. Also, you may want to check out our other college rankings.

If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.

Best Value Schools (With Aid) in Tennessee

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

1

Our analysis found Southwest Tennessee Community College to be the best value (with aid) school in Tennessee in this year’s ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Memphis, Tennessee.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southwest Tennessee Community College is ranked #25 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $6,368 a year.

Learn More About Value at Southwest Tennessee Community College

2
Roane State Community College crest
Roane State Community College
Harriman, Tennessee

The quality degree programs at Roane State Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee. Located in Harriman, Tennessee, the school is a small public institution.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Roane State Community College is ranked #30 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $4,853 a year.

Learn More About Value at Roane State Community College

3

The quality degree programs at Jackson State Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee. JSCC is a small public school situated in Jackson, Tennessee.

Not only is Jackson State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #15 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $8,607 a year.

Full Jackson State Community College Value Report

4
Chattanooga State Community College crest
Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga, Tennessee

The quality degree programs at Chattanooga State Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee. Chattanooga State Community College is located in Chattanooga, 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, Chattanooga State Community College is ranked #24 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $7,027 a year.

Learn More About Value at Chattanooga State Community College

5

A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list means Volunteer State Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Gallatin, Tennessee, the school is a medium-sized public institution.

Not only is Volunteer State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #35 in Tennessee for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $5,723.

Read full value report on Volunteer State Community College

6

Dyersburg State Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. DSCC is a public institution located 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 net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $5,447 a year.

Full Dyersburg State Community College Value Report

7

Pellissippi State Community College landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. Pellissippi State Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Not only is Pellissippi State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #34 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $6,454 a year.

Learn More About Value at Pellissippi State Community College

8

Nashville State Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. Nashville State Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville State Community College has the honor of being ranked #38 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $6,348.

Full Nashville State Community College Value Report

9
Middle Tennessee State University crest
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Middle Tennessee State University landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. Middle Tennessee State University is a large public school situated in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee State University has the honor of being ranked #9 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $12,617.

Learn More About Value at Middle Tennessee State University

10
WSCC crest
Walters State Community College
Morristown, Tennessee

With a ranking of #10, Walters State Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list. Walters State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Morristown, Tennessee.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Walters State Community College is ranked #43 for quality in the state of Tennessee. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $5,048.

Full Walters State Community College Value Report

11
Northeast State Technical Community College crest
Northeast State Community College
Blountville, Tennessee

Northeast State Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. Blountville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.

Northeast State Community College has the honor of being ranked #40 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $6,322 a year.

Full Northeast State Community College Value Report

12

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is a fairly large public school located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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 net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $13,552 a year.

Read full value report on The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

13
UofM crest
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

With a ranking of #13, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list. This large public school is located in Memphis, Tennessee.

University of Memphis has the honor of being ranked #10 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $14,251.

Read full value report on University of Memphis

14

Columbia State Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. Located in Columbia, Tennessee, the school is a medium-sized public institution.

Columbia State Community College has the honor of being ranked #36 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $8,920 a year.

Full Columbia State Community College Value Report

15
ETSU crest
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee

East Tennessee State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list. This fairly large public school is located in Johnson City, Tennessee.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, East Tennessee State University is ranked #12 for quality in the state of Tennessee. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $14,482.

Learn More About Value at East Tennessee State University

16
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #16. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated 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. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $27,553.

Full Vanderbilt University Value Report

17
Tennessee State University crest
Tennessee State University
Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list. Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tennessee State University has the honor of being ranked #28 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $11,880 a year.

Full Tennessee State University Value Report

18

With a ranking of #18, Cleveland State Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list. Cleveland State Community College is located in Cleveland, Tennessee and has a small student population. It is a public school.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Cleveland State Community College is ranked #41 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $8,184 a year.

Read full value report on Cleveland State Community College

19
Motlow crest
Motlow State Community College
Tullahoma, Tennessee

With a ranking of #19, Motlow State Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list. Tullahoma, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.

Not only is Motlow State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #33 in Tennessee for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $10,272.

Learn More About Value at Motlow State Community College

20
TNU crest
Trevecca Nazarene University
Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #20, Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.

Trevecca Nazarene University has the honor of being ranked #11 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $15,795.

Learn More About Value at Trevecca Nazarene University

21

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #21. Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.

Not only is The University of Tennessee - Knoxville a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $21,512 a year.

Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Value Report

22

Tennessee Technological University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. Located in Cookeville, Tennessee, the school is a medium-sized public institution.

In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Tennessee Technological University is ranked #14 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $15,481 a year.

Full Tennessee Technological University Value Report

23
Austin Peay State University crest
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #23, Austin Peay State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee list. Austin Peay State University is located in Clarksville, 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, Austin Peay State University is ranked #22 for quality in the state of Tennessee. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $14,529.

Full Austin Peay State University Value Report

24

The University of Tennessee - Martin came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking. The University of Tennessee - Martin is a medium-sized public school located in Martin, Tennessee.

The University of Tennessee - Martin has the honor of being ranked #31 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $11,646 a year.

Read full value report on The University of Tennessee - Martin

25
William Jennings Bryan College crest
Bryan College - Dayton
Dayton, Tennessee

Bryan College - Dayton did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #25. Bryan College - Dayton is a small private not-for-profit school located in Dayton, Tennessee.

Bryan College - Dayton has the honor of being ranked #18 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $15,901.

Read full value report on Bryan College - Dayton

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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