2022 Best Schools for the Money (No Aid) in Tennessee
When pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Value Tennessee Schools ranking - to help you make that decision.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
Choosing the Best School for You
We analyzed 50 schools across Tennessee to determine which have the best value programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best value schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
Our Methodology
To determine the value of a school in our Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking, we first add average tuition, fees, and room and board costs (without aid) together. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
Additional Rankings
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
- Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Tennessee
- Best Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Tennessee
- Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Tennessee
- Best Doctor’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Tennessee
Best Value Schools (No Aid) in Tennessee
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2022 rankings named Motlow State Community College the best value (no aid) school in Tennessee. Motlow is a medium-sized public school situated in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
Motlow State Community College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $8,420 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $4,090 a year.
Out of the 50 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Southwest Tennessee Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Not only is Southwest Tennessee Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,774 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $9,431 a year.
Learn More About Value at Southwest Tennessee Community College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pellissippi State Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. Pellissippi State Community College is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Pellissippi State Community College has the honor of being ranked #17 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $10,618 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,300 per year for graduate students.
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list means Jackson State Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. JSCC is located in Jackson, Tennessee and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Jackson State Community College has the honor of being ranked #18 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $15,210 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $10,886 per year for graduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Walters State Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. WSCC is a medium-sized public school situated in Morristown, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Walters State Community College is ranked #38 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average cost without aid for the school is $8,504 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $4,176 per year for graduate students.
Tennessee Technological University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Cookeville, Tennessee.
Tennessee Technological University has the honor of being ranked #9 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $18,486 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $20,408 per year for graduate students.
Read full value report on Tennessee Technological University
With a ranking of #7, Chattanooga State Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. This medium-sized public school is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Chattanooga State Community College is ranked #34 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,558 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $7,200 per year for graduate students.
Learn More About Value at Chattanooga State Community College
Middle Tennessee State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. Murfreesboro, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Middle Tennessee State University is ranked #12 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $18,356 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,636 per year for graduate students.
The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #9. This fairly large public school is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga has the honor of being ranked #10 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,156 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $19,770 a year.
Columbia State Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. Columbia, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Columbia State Community College has the honor of being ranked #24 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $15,332 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $10,750 a year.
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is The University of Tennessee - Knoxville a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $25,120 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $25,236 per year for graduate students.
Read full value report on The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Roane State Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. Harriman, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Roane State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #35 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $12,810 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $8,258 per year for graduate students.
Nashville State Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. Nashville State Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Nashville, Tennessee.
Not only is Nashville State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #23 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $16,183 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,889 per year for graduate students.
Volunteer State Community College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking. Located in Gallatin, Tennessee, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Volunteer State Community College has the honor of being ranked #21 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,512 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,200 per year for graduate students.
With a ranking of #15, The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. UT Martin is a public institution located in Martin, Tennessee.
The University of Tennessee - Martin has the honor of being ranked #31 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $16,146 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $17,014 a year.
Learn More About Value at The University of Tennessee - Martin
With a ranking of #16, Northeast State Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. Northeast State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Blountville, Tennessee.
Not only is Northeast State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #43 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,586 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $8,260 a year.
Dyersburg State Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. DSCC is a public institution located in Dyersburg, Tennessee.
Not only is Dyersburg State Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #40 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,706 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $9,368 a year.
University of Memphis landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking. University of Memphis is a large public school located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Not only is University of Memphis a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $20,087 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $20,921 a year.
East Tennessee State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #19. ETSU is a public institution located in Johnson City, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, East Tennessee State University is ranked #33 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $18,197 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $19,497 a year.
Tennessee State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking. Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tennessee State University has the honor of being ranked #39 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $16,624 a year. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,996 per year for graduate students.
Cleveland State Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #21. Cleveland State Community College is a public institution located in Cleveland, Tennessee.
Cleveland State Community College has the honor of being ranked #45 in Tennessee for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,181 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $6,843 per year for graduate students.
With a ranking of #22, Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee list. TNU is located in Nashville, Tennessee and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Trevecca Nazarene University a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $35,998 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $18,382 a year.
Bethel University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in McKenzie, Tennessee.
Not only is Bethel University a great value, but it is also ranked #26 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $22,979 a year for undergraduates. The average cost without aid for the school is $20,750 per year for graduate students.
Union University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking. Union is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jackson, Tennessee.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Union University is ranked #13 for quality in the state of Tennessee. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $33,330 a year. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $21,071 a year.
Austin Peay State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Colleges for the Money in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #25. Austin Peay State University is a fairly large public school located in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Not only is Austin Peay State University a great value, but it is also ranked #36 in Tennessee for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $20,423 a year for undergraduates. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $21,803 a year.
Best Value Schools (No Aid) in the Southeast Region
View Best Value Schools (No Aid) Nationwide >
All Majors and Fields of Study >
More Tennessee Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 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).
- 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%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.
