2027 Best Value Secondary Education Schools in Tennessee
[Secondary Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-development-levels-methods/secondary-education/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong secondary education education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 13 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for secondary education students.
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2027 Best Value Secondary Education Schools in Tennessee
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in secondary education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Secondary Education Schools
For return on investment in secondary education, no school beat Christian Brothers University this year. Set in the city of Memphis, Christian Brothers University is a small private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $38,420. Typical student debt for secondary education graduates is $32,416. Secondary Education graduates of Christian Brothers University earn a median of $51,040 early in their careers. Set against $32,416 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 87% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at The University Of Tennessee Martin earned it the #2 place for secondary education. The University Of Tennessee Martin is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Martin. Students from in state pay about $10,560 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $16,600. Secondary Education graduates carry a median of $21,000 in student loans. Secondary Education graduates of The University Of Tennessee Martin earn a median of $43,634 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The University Of Tennessee Martin admits about 88% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Tennessee Technological University earned it the #3 place for secondary education. Set in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Technological University is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,376, while out-of-state students pay about $15,576. Typical student debt for secondary education graduates is $14,566. Early-career secondary education graduates make about $39,034. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at University Of Memphis earned it the #4 place for secondary education. University Of Memphis is a very large public school located in the city of Memphis. Students from in state pay about $10,728 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $15,384. Students borrow a median of $28,439 to complete the secondary education program here. Soon after graduation, secondary education degree recipients from University Of Memphis generally make around $33,502. That is a strong return on a $28,439 median debt. Roughly 72% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in secondary education will find it at Vanderbilt University, which ranked #5. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $67,498 in tuition and fees. Secondary Education graduates carry a median of $13,975 in student loans. Early-career secondary education graduates make about $50,383. That is a strong return on a $13,975 median debt. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga ranked #6 on our 2027 list of the best value secondary education schools. Located in the city of Chattanooga, The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $10,448 in tuition and fees, compared with $18,512 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $22,517 to complete the secondary education program here. Secondary Education graduates of The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga earn a median of $44,879 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga admits about 81% of applicants.
Trevecca Nazarene University earned the #7 position for value in secondary education this year. Located in the city of Nashville, Trevecca Nazarene University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $31,300. Typical student debt for secondary education graduates is $24,962. Early-career secondary education graduates make about $47,348. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 69% of applicants are accepted.
Cumberland University earned the #8 position for value in secondary education this year. 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 secondary education graduates is $21,902. Soon after graduation, secondary education degree recipients from Cumberland University generally make around $47,696. That is a strong return on a $21,902 median debt. Cumberland University admits about 67% of applicants.
Maryville College came in at #9 for value in secondary education this year. Maryville College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Maryville. Students from in state pay about $39,284 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for secondary education graduates is $26,428. Secondary Education graduates of Maryville College earn a median of $42,971 early in their careers. Set against $26,428 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 61% of applicants are accepted.
Carson Newman College came in at #10 for value in secondary education this year. Located in the suburb of Jefferson City, Carson Newman College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $34,700. Students borrow a median of $26,500 to complete the secondary education program here. Early-career secondary education graduates make about $45,527. That is a strong return on a $26,500 median debt. Roughly 90% of applicants are accepted.
Freed Hardeman University earned the #11 position for value in secondary education this year. Located in the town of Henderson, Freed Hardeman University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $25,620 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for secondary education graduates is $23,125. Soon after graduation, secondary education degree recipients from Freed Hardeman University generally make around $40,936. That is a strong return on a $23,125 median debt. The acceptance rate is 60%.
Johnson University came in at #12 for value in secondary education this year. Johnson University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Knoxville. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $21,122. Typical student debt for secondary education graduates is $23,819. Early-career secondary education graduates make about $43,102. That is a strong return on a $23,819 median debt. Roughly 65% of applicants are accepted.
Belmont University came in at #13 for value in secondary education this year. Belmont University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. In-state tuition and fees average $42,540. Secondary Education graduates carry a median of $23,447 in student loans. Early-career secondary education graduates make about $47,237. Set against $23,447 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 95% of applicants are accepted.
More Secondary Education Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 13 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 13 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.
