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2027 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Tennessee

[General Social Sciences](/majors/social-sciences/general-social-sciences/social-sciences-general/) 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.

For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for general social sciences students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Tennessee

2027 Best Value General Social Sciences Schools in Tennessee

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the general social sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value General Social Sciences Schools

1

Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, TN

$9,006 In-State Tuition & Fees

$24,530 Avg Student Debt

$44,301 Median Earnings (10yr)

Austin Peay State University tops our 2027 list of the best value general social sciences schools in Tennessee. Located in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,006, compared with $14,766 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $24,530 to complete the general social sciences program here. Early-career general social sciences graduates make about $44,360. Set against $24,530 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 96% of applicants are accepted.

2

Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

$67,498 In-State Tuition & Fees

$11,000 Avg Student Debt

$91,565 Median Earnings (10yr)

Vanderbilt University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in general social sciences, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $67,498 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for general social sciences graduates is $11,000. Early-career general social sciences graduates make about $61,389. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 6%.

View All General Social Sciences Rankings >

Notes and References

This ranking is produced 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 · 2 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.