2027 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Tennessee
[Legal Professions](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/) 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.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools to find the best return on investment for legal professions students.
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2027 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Tennessee
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in legal professions, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Legal Professions Schools
For return on investment in legal professions, no school beat Southwest Tennessee Community College this year. Set in the city of Memphis, Southwest Tennessee Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. Students from in state pay about $4,766 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $17,750. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $11,406 in student loans. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Southwest Tennessee Community College generally make around $43,592. Set against $11,406 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Pellissippi State Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in legal professions, landing the #2 spot this year. Pellissippi State Community College is a large public school located in the suburb of Knoxville. Students from in state pay about $4,786 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $17,770. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $8,951 in student loans. Legal Professions graduates of Pellissippi State Community College earn a median of $43,816 early in their careers. Set against $8,951 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in legal professions will find it at Vanderbilt University, which ranked #3. 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. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $13,975 in student loans. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $156,307. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 6%.
Nashville State Community College came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best value legal professions schools. Set in the city of Nashville, Nashville State Community College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,730, with out-of-state students paying around $17,714. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $16,745. Legal Professions graduates of Nashville State Community College earn a median of $41,456 early in their careers. Set against $16,745 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
University Of Memphis came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best value legal professions schools. Set in the city of Memphis, University Of Memphis is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $10,728 in tuition and fees, compared with $15,384 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $26,315 to complete the legal professions program here. Legal Professions graduates of University Of Memphis earn a median of $52,464 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 72%.
The University Of Tennessee earned the #6 position for value in legal professions this year. The University Of Tennessee is a very large public school located in the city of Knoxville. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,812, compared with $33,256 for out-of-state students. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $22,859 in student loans. Legal Professions graduates of The University Of Tennessee earn a median of $65,905 early in their careers. Set against $22,859 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The University Of Tennessee admits about 42% of applicants.
Lincoln Memorial University earned the #7 position for value in legal professions this year. Set in the town of Harrogate, Lincoln Memorial University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $26,938 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $20,693. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $46,511. That is a strong return on a $20,693 median debt. The acceptance rate is 63%.
Lipscomb University landed the #8 spot for legal professions value this year. Set in the city of Nashville, Lipscomb University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $40,572 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $24,500. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Lipscomb University generally make around $32,967. Set against $24,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Lipscomb University admits about 68% of applicants.
Belmont University earned the #9 position for value in legal professions this year. Located in the city of Nashville, Belmont University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $42,540. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $23,447. Legal Professions graduates of Belmont University earn a median of $58,486 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 95%.
More Legal Professions Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 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 9 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.
