Best-Value Colleges in Tennessee
18 Tennessee 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment - 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price - among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Tennessee is Baptist Health Sciences University, Memphis - a net price of $10,165 against $72,529 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 7.1×, with a 54% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Baptist Health Sciences University Memphis, TN | $10,165 | $72,529 | 7.1× | 54% | $14,036 |
| 2 |  Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | $15,497 | $91,565 | 5.9× | 93% | $71,226 |
| 3 |  Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN | $12,562 | $48,541 | 3.9× | 54% | $10,932 |
| 4 |  Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN | $16,842 | $57,478 | 3.4× | 56% | $39,750 |
| 5 |  The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN | $15,026 | $51,151 | 3.4× | 53% | $10,762 |
| 6 |  The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN | $18,314 | $60,249 | 3.3× | 74% | $13,812 |
| 7 |  Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN | $16,830 | $48,501 | 2.9× | 54% | $11,926 |
| 8 |  Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN | $19,828 | $49,378 | 2.5× | 55% | $33,300 |
| 9 |  Lipscomb University Nashville, TN | $23,178 | $55,541 | 2.4× | 69% | $42,596 |
| 10 |  Union University Jackson, TN | $22,995 | $53,990 | 2.3× | 71% | $41,470 |
| 11 |  Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN | $21,394 | $49,956 | 2.3× | 54% | $27,368 |
| 12 | MU Milligan University Milligan, TN | $20,000 | $46,641 | 2.3× | 60% | $41,100 |
| 13 |  Rhodes College Memphis, TN | $28,776 | $66,651 | 2.3× | 82% | $59,082 |
| 14 |  Bryan College-Dayton Dayton, TN | $23,601 | $54,434 | 2.3× | 56% | $22,000 |
| 15 |  Freed-Hardeman University Henderson, TN | $22,036 | $47,485 | 2.2× | 68% | $26,260 |
| 16 |  Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN | $25,979 | $53,723 | 2.1× | 51% | $28,900 |
| 17 |  The University of the South Sewanee, TN | $31,931 | $64,911 | 2.0× | 82% | $58,226 |
| 18 |  Belmont University Nashville, TN | $32,648 | $55,930 | 1.7× | 72% | $43,750 |
How we ranked this
From every Tennessee four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price - the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys - highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Tennessee?+
Baptist Health Sciences University in Memphis has the highest return on investment among Tennessee 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $10,165 against $72,529 in 10-year median earnings - an ROI of 7.1× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) - with a 54% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance - a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Tennessee four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “-” and never estimated. GetInto.College does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.