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2022 Best Value Colleges for Early Childhood Education (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

15 Ranked Colleges
227 Degrees Awarded
$11,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 31,017 people earned their degree in early childhood education, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States.

Across Tennessee, there were 227 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 15 colleges that offered a degree in early childhood education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great early childhood education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the early childhood education program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Early Childhood Education Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Early Childhood Education (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #1 spot on the list. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $3,156 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Vanderbilt

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga landed the #2 spot on the list. Chattanooga, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 99 students in 2019-2020.

UT Chattanooga not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $8,108 for Tennessee Child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Chattanooga.

Full The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Early Childhood Education Report

#3

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. Murfreesboro, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

Middle Tennessee State University also took the #4 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Middle Tennessee State University is $8,919 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Middle Tennessee State University Early Childhood Education Report

#4

Tennessee Wesleyan University

Athens, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tennessee Wesleyan University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. TWU is located in Athens, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

TWU also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $10,002 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tennessee Wesleyan University.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Tennessee Wesleyan University

#5

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tennessee Technological University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tennessee Tech University is located in Cookeville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Tennessee Tech University also took the #2 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tennessee Tech University is $11,641 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Tennessee Tech University Early Childhood Education Report

#6

Christian Brothers University

Memphis, Tennessee

Christian Brothers University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Christian Brothers is located in Memphis, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Christian Brothers also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $9,496 for Tennessee Child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Christian Brothers University.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Christian Brothers University

#7

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, Tennessee

Freed-Hardeman University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Freed-Hardeman University is a small school located in Henderson, Tennessee that handed out 16 ’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

FHU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $13,512 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend FHU.

Full FHU Early Childhood Education Report

#8

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee

East Tennessee State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Johnson City, Tennessee, this fairly large public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2019-2020.

ETSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for East Tennessee State University is $10,632 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at East Tennessee State University

#9

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 1 ’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Tennessee State University has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tennessee State University is $11,015 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Tennessee State University

#10

Johnson University

Knoxville, Tennessee

Johnson University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it awarded 2 ’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k list, Johnson University has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johnson University is $13,968 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Johnson University

#11

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, Tennessee

Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

TNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $15,228 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trevecca Nazarene University.

Full Trevecca Nazarene University Early Childhood Education Report

#12

Lee University

Cleveland, Tennessee

Lee University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Lee University is a medium-sized school located in Cleveland, Tennessee that handed out 11 ’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lee University, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lee University is $13,841 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Lee University

#13

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, Tennessee

Carson - Newman University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2019-2020.

Carson - Newman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $14,686 for tennessee child development students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Carson - Newman University.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Carson - Newman

#14

Milligan University

Milligan College, Tennessee

Milligan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Milligan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milligan College, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Milligan also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Milligan is $14,089 for Tennessee Child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Milligan Early Childhood Education Report

#15

Welch College

Gallatin, Tennessee
#14 in overall quality

Welch College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Welch is a private not-for-profit institution located in Gallatin, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Welch also took the #14 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Welch is $17,466 for Tennessee Child development students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Welch Early Childhood Education Report

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Vgrigas.

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