2027 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Tennessee
[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) 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 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for public policy students.
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2027 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Tennessee
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the public policy degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Public Policy Schools
For return on investment in public policy, no school beat Tennessee State University this year. Tennessee State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Nashville. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $8,616, with out-of-state students paying around $22,416. Public Policy graduates carry a median of $29,489 in student loans. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients from Tennessee State University generally make around $45,060. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Tennessee State University admits about 70% of applicants.
Vanderbilt University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in public policy, landing the #2 spot this year. Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville. Students from in state pay about $67,498 in tuition and fees. Public Policy graduates carry a median of $13,975 in student loans. Early-career public policy graduates make about $60,174. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 6% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in public policy will find it at The University Of Tennessee, which ranked #3. Located in the city of Knoxville, The University Of Tennessee is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $13,812 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $33,256. Students borrow a median of $22,859 to complete the public policy program here. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients from The University Of Tennessee generally make around $49,826. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 42%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
