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2022 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service (Income $48-$75k) in Tennessee

14 Ranked Colleges
1,507 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 97,666 people earned their degree in public administration and social service, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $39,142 and had an average of $32,304 in loans still to pay off.

Across Tennessee, there were 1,507 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in public administration and social service. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration and social service programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The public administration & social service school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service (Income $48-$75k) in Tennessee

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 87 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $8,086 for Tennessee Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full Vanderbilt Public Administration & Social Service Report

#2

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Middle Tennessee State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and it awarded 81 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Middle Tennessee State University also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Middle Tennessee State University is $14,822 for Tennessee Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Middle Tennessee State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Martin landed the #3 spot on the list. UT Martin is a public institution located in Martin, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Martin also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Tennessee - Martin is $13,766 for tennessee public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at The University of Tennessee - Martin

#4

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Trevecca Nazarene University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k. Trevecca Nazarene University is a small school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 25 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at TNU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Trevecca Nazarene University is $17,587 for Tennessee Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Trevecca Nazarene University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chattanooga, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public administration and social service degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

UT Chattanooga did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $14,601 for tennessee public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga.

Full UT Chattanooga Public Administration & Social Service Report

#6

Tennessee State University

Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 117 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tennessee State University, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $14,540 for Tennessee Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Tennessee State University.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Tennessee State University

#7

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee

East Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. ETSU is a fairly large public school situated in Johnson City, Tennessee. It awarded 222 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

ETSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” list. The yearly cost to attend ETSU is $16,359 for Tennessee Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full ETSU Public Administration & Social Service Report

#8

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

University of Memphis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, this large public school awarded 117 diplomas to qualified ’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

UofM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $15,287 for tennessee public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Memphis.

Full UofM Public Administration & Social Service Report

#9

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, Tennessee

Austin Peay State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and it awarded 95 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Austin Peay State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Austin Peay State University is $16,243 for tennessee public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Austin Peay State University

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 367 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Knoxville, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is $23,211 for Tennessee Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#11

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee

Belmont University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. This medium-sized school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 27 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Belmont not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” list. The estimated yearly cost for Belmont University is $31,006 for tennessee public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Belmont

#12

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, Tennessee

With a ranking of #12, Carson - Newman University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k list. Jefferson City, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public administration and social service degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

Carson - Newman not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $18,751 for Tennessee Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Carson - Newman University.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Carson - Newman

#13

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, Tennessee

Southern Adventist University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Collegedale, Tennessee, and it awarded 43 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Southern Adventist not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” list. It costs about $21,725 for Tennessee Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Southern Adventist University.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Southern Adventist University

#14

Union University

Jackson, Tennessee

Union University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Union is located in Jackson, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 106 ’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Union, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Tennessee” ranking. It costs about $25,952 for tennessee public administration & social service students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Union.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Union Public Administration & Social Service Report

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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