2027 Best Value Reading Teacher Education Schools in Tennessee
[Reading Teacher Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-and-development/reading-teacher-education/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong reading teacher education education at a price that pays off.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for reading teacher education students.
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2027 Best Value Reading Teacher Education Schools in Tennessee
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in reading teacher education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Reading Teacher Education Schools
For return on investment in reading teacher education, no school beat Austin Peay State University this year. Set in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,006 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $14,766. Typical student debt for reading teacher education graduates is $24,530. Soon after graduation, reading teacher education degree recipients from Austin Peay State University generally make around $52,131. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Austin Peay State University admits about 96% of applicants.
Vanderbilt University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in reading teacher education, landing the #2 spot this year. Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. In-state tuition and fees average $67,498. Reading Teacher Education graduates carry a median of $13,975 in student loans. Reading Teacher Education graduates of Vanderbilt University earn a median of $77,997 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Vanderbilt University admits about 6% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in reading teacher education will find it at Cumberland University, which ranked #3. Set in the town of Lebanon, Cumberland University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $27,840. Typical student debt for reading teacher education graduates is $21,902. Early-career reading teacher education graduates make about $47,696. That is a strong return on a $21,902 median debt. Cumberland University admits about 67% of applicants.
The University Of Tennessee is a great value for students pursuing a degree in reading teacher education, landing the #4 spot this year. Set in the city of Knoxville, The University Of Tennessee is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $13,812 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $33,256. Reading Teacher Education graduates carry a median of $22,859 in student loans. Reading Teacher Education graduates of The University Of Tennessee earn a median of $47,975 early in their careers. Set against $22,859 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in reading teacher education will find it at Carson Newman College, which ranked #5. Set in the suburb of Jefferson City, Carson Newman College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $34,700. Typical student debt for reading teacher education graduates is $25,075. Soon after graduation, reading teacher education degree recipients from Carson Newman College generally make around $46,048. Set against $25,075 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Carson Newman College admits about 90% of applicants.
More Reading Teacher Education Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 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.
