2026 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Tennessee
[Legal Professions](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong legal professions education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 14 schools to find the best return on investment for legal professions students.
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2026 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
Nashville State Community College earned the #1 spot for value among legal professions schools in Tennessee. Located in the city of Nashville, Nashville State Community College is a moderately-sized public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,730, while out-of-state students pay about $17,714. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $16,745 in student loans. Legal Professions graduates of Nashville State Community College earn a median of $41,456 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $16,745 median debt.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Memphis one of the best values for legal professions. University Of Memphis is a very large public school located in the city of Memphis. In-state tuition and fees average $10,728, compared with $15,384 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $26,315 to complete the legal professions program here. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $52,464. Set against $26,315 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Memphis admits about 72% of applicants.
The University Of Tennessee is a great value for students pursuing a degree in legal professions, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Knoxville, The University Of Tennessee is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,812, while out-of-state students pay about $33,256. 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. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The University Of Tennessee admits about 42% of applicants.
Lincoln Memorial University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. Lincoln Memorial University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Harrogate. In-state tuition and fees average $26,938. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $20,693. Legal Professions graduates of Lincoln Memorial University earn a median of $46,511 early in their careers. Set against $20,693 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 63%.
Vanderbilt University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. 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 legal professions graduates is $13,975. Legal Professions graduates of Vanderbilt University earn a median of $156,307 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Vanderbilt University admits about 6% of applicants.
Lipscomb University came in at #6 for value in legal professions this year. Lipscomb University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $40,572. Students borrow a median of $24,500 to complete the legal professions program here. Legal Professions graduates of Lipscomb University earn a median of $32,967 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,500 median debt. Roughly 68% of applicants are accepted.
Belmont University landed the #7 spot for legal professions value this year. Located in the city of Nashville, Belmont University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $42,540. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $23,447. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Belmont University generally make around $58,486. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 95% of applicants are accepted.
More Legal Professions Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 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 · 14 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.
