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2022 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

10 Ranked Colleges
2,473 Degrees Awarded
$10,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 200,458 engineering students received their degree, making the major the 6th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,888 and had an average of $23,564 in loans still to pay off.

Across Tennessee, there were 2,473 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for tennessee engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Tennessee

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#1 in overall quality
$3,156 Average Net Price
$67,244 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Engineering 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 347 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt also took the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $3,156 for tennessee engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Engineering at Vanderbilt

#2

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee
#3 in overall quality
$8,919 Average Net Price
$36,971 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Middle Tennessee State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and it awarded 60 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Middle Tennessee State University also made our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Middle Tennessee State University is $8,919 for tennessee engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering at Middle Tennessee State University

#3

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee
#2 in overall quality
$10,224 Average Net Price
$43,722 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, this large public school handed out 962 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

UT Knoxville also made our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $10,224 for Tennessee Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Knoxville.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at UT Knoxville

#4

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tennessee
#5 in overall quality
$8,108 Average Net Price
$43,755 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this fairly large public school handed out 210 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

UT Chattanooga also took the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $8,108 for tennessee engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Chattanooga.

Read more about Engineering at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

#5

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee
#4 in overall quality
$11,641 Average Net Price
$40,270 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tennessee Technological University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Cookeville, Tennessee, and it awarded 419 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Tennessee Tech University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend Tennessee Technological University is $11,641 for tennessee engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Full Tennessee Tech University Engineering Report

#6

Christian Brothers University

Memphis, Tennessee
#7 in overall quality
$9,496 Average Net Price
$54,286 Average Early-Career Earnings

Christian Brothers University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 47 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

Christian Brothers also made our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Christian Brothers is $9,496 for tennessee engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Christian Brothers Engineering Report

#7

The University of Tennessee - Martin

Martin, Tennessee
#9 in overall quality
$7,524 Average Net Price
$32,785 Average Early-Career Earnings

The University of Tennessee - Martin landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Tennessee - Martin is located in Martin, Tennessee and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

UT Martin also made our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $7,524 for Tennessee Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Martin.

Read full report on Engineering at UT Martin

#8

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee
#8 in overall quality
$10,256 Average Net Price
$38,610 Average Early-Career Earnings

University of Memphis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, this large public school handed out 201 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

UofM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for UofM is $10,256 for Tennessee Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering at University of Memphis

#9

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee
#10 in overall quality
$11,015 Average Net Price
$40,670 Average Early-Career Earnings

With a ranking of #9, Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tennessee State University is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 58 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Tennessee State University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $11,015 for tennessee engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Tennessee State University.

Read full report on Engineering at Tennessee State University

#10

Lipscomb University

Nashville, Tennessee
#6 in overall quality
$20,036 Average Net Price
$50,625 Average Early-Career Earnings

Lipscomb University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lipscomb University is a small school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 53 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Lipscomb did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $20,036 for Tennessee Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lipscomb.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Engineering at Lipscomb University

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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.

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