2026 Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools in Tennessee
[Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/psychiatric-mental-health-nurse-nursing/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 9 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing students.
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2026 Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools in Tennessee
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing Schools
Tennessee Technological University earned the #1 spot for value among psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Technological University is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,376, compared with $15,576 for out-of-state students. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $18,349 in student loans. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of Tennessee Technological University earn a median of $77,364 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $18,349 median debt. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing will find it at East Tennessee State University, which ranked #2. East Tennessee State University is a large public school located in the city of Johnson City. Students from in state pay about $10,216 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $13,726. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $25,091 in student loans. Early-career psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates make about $89,640. Set against $25,091 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 86% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes Lincoln Memorial University one of the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Located in the town of Harrogate, Lincoln Memorial University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $26,938. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $24,375 in student loans. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from Lincoln Memorial University generally make around $70,403. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 63% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing will find it at The University Of Tennessee, which ranked #4. Located in the city of Knoxville, The University Of Tennessee is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,812, compared with $33,256 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $23,292 to complete the psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing program here. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates of The University Of Tennessee earn a median of $97,755 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,292 median debt. The University Of Tennessee admits about 42% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Vanderbilt University earned it the #5 place for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $67,498. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $13,975. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from Vanderbilt University generally make around $125,565. Set against $13,975 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Vanderbilt University admits about 6% of applicants.
King College placed #6 among the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Set in the city of Bristol, King College is a small private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $20,397. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $25,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing degree recipients from King College generally make around $77,837. That is a strong return on a $25,000 median debt. King College admits about 100% of applicants.
Southern Adventist University placed #7 among the best values for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $27,300 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates is $26,596. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/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. Southern Adventist University admits about 66% of applicants.
Union University came in at #8 for value in psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing this year. Union University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Jackson. Students from in state pay about $37,398 in tuition and fees. Psychiatric/mental Health Nurse/nursing graduates carry a median of $29,127 in student loans. Early-career psychiatric/mental health nurse/nursing graduates make about $118,489. That is a strong return on a $29,127 median debt. The acceptance rate is 60%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
