2027 Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools in Tennessee

[Critical Care Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/critical-care-nursing/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for critical care nursing students.
What’s on this page:
2027 Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools in Tennessee
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the critical care nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of Memphis the best value for a degree in critical care nursing in Tennessee. Located in the city of Memphis, University Of Memphis is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,728, with out-of-state students paying around $15,384. Critical Care Nursing graduates carry a median of $27,168 in student loans. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $48,890. Set against $27,168 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Memphis admits about 72% of applicants.
Vanderbilt University came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value critical care nursing schools. Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,498. Students borrow a median of $13,975 to complete the critical care nursing program here. Soon after graduation, critical care nursing degree recipients from Vanderbilt University generally make around $125,565. That is a strong return on a $13,975 median debt. Vanderbilt University admits about 6% of applicants.
King College came in at #3 on our 2027 list of the best value critical care nursing schools. Set in the city of Bristol, King College is a small private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $20,397 in tuition and fees. Critical Care Nursing graduates carry a median of $25,000 in student loans. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $49,297. Set against $25,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 100% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #4 makes Southern Adventist University one of the best values for critical care nursing. Set in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $27,300 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $26,596 to complete the critical care nursing program here. Critical Care Nursing graduates of Southern Adventist University earn a median of $77,467 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $26,596 median debt. Roughly 66% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.