Tennessee has 37 colleges with published admissions data — 10 public and 27 private. Acceptance rates range from 6% to 100%, with Vanderbilt University admitting the smallest share of applicants. The median net price — what students actually pay after grants — is $18,878 a year. Median earnings ten years after enrolling are $48,480.
Average annual net price after grants.
Graduate earnings relative to one year's net price.
Median earnings 10 years after entering.
Share finishing within six years.
| College | Acceptance | SAT range | In-state tuition | Net price | Earnings | Grad rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | 6% | 1500–1570 | $67,498 | $15,846 | $91,565 | 94% |
| Visible Music College | 28% | — | $22,000 | $27,820 | $35,933 | 23% |
| Fisk University | 37% | 1140–1510 | $25,858 | $32,020 | $45,454 | 30% |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 42% | 1200–1370 | $13,812 | $18,976 | $60,249 | 74% |
| Nossi College of Art and Design | 46% | — | $20,350 | $24,044 | $35,113 | 42% |
| Rhodes College | 50% | 1300–1486 | $57,110 | $28,585 | $66,651 | 85% |
| The University of the South | 57% | 1260–1390 | $56,120 | $27,872 | $64,911 | 80% |
| Freed-Hardeman University | 60% | 952–1087 | $25,620 | $21,574 | $47,485 | 71% |
| Bethel University | 60% | 830–1120 | $18,712 | $12,595 | $47,482 | 35% |
| Union University | 60% | 1160–1390 | $40,025 | $27,171 | $53,990 | 66% |
| Maryville College | 61% | — | $39,284 | $19,360 | $49,279 | 50% |
| Lincoln Memorial University | 63% | 1000–1210 | $26,938 | $20,406 | $49,956 | 50% |
| Johnson University | 65% | 960–1110 | $21,122 | $22,063 | $40,596 | 57% |
| Southern Adventist University | 66% | 1020–1300 | $27,300 | $24,345 | $53,723 | 49% |
| Cumberland University | 67% | — | $27,840 | $18,759 | $57,687 | 46% |
| Lipscomb University | 68% | 1160–1380 | $40,572 | $24,739 | $55,541 | 72% |
| Tennessee Wesleyan University | 69% | — | $30,814 | $14,836 | $45,989 | 48% |
| Middle Tennessee State University | 69% | 1010–1230 | $10,266 | $13,359 | $48,541 | 54% |
| Trevecca Nazarene University | 69% | 980–1235 | $31,300 | $16,813 | $49,378 | 53% |
| Tennessee State University | 70% | 880–1050 | $8,616 | $15,796 | $42,730 | 34% |
| Lee University | 71% | 1040–1230 | $23,790 | $18,878 | $43,222 | 63% |
| University of Memphis | 72% | 915–1180 | $10,728 | $12,397 | $48,458 | 51% |
| Tusculum University | 72% | — | $29,250 | $21,131 | $44,367 | 25% |
| Milligan University | 72% | 1133–1268 | $40,450 | $21,365 | $46,641 | 63% |
| Tennessee Technological University | 76% | 1048–1310 | $11,376 | $14,246 | $48,501 | 58% |
| The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 81% | 1013–1210 | $10,448 | $14,265 | $51,151 | 50% |
| Baptist Health Sciences University | 82% | — | $13,796 | $11,212 | $72,529 | 40% |
| East Tennessee State University | 86% | 980–1200 | $10,472 | $15,983 | $44,859 | 53% |
| Christian Brothers University | 87% | 1020–1380 | $38,420 | $9,854 | $57,478 | 55% |
| The University of Tennessee Southern | 87% | 905–1110 | $10,924 | $12,798 | $38,924 | 37% |
| The University of Tennessee-Martin | 88% | 970–1210 | $10,560 | $10,701 | $44,213 | 53% |
| Carson-Newman University | 91% | 955–1215 | $34,700 | $20,251 | $48,382 | 53% |
| Belmont University | 95% | 1160–1350 | $42,540 | $33,147 | $55,930 | 71% |
| Austin Peay State University | 96% | 843–1126 | $9,006 | $9,735 | $44,301 | 40% |
| Le Moyne-Owen College | 99% | — | $12,076 | $7,099 | $35,594 | 27% |
| King University | 100% | — | $36,194 | $22,347 | $59,831 | 48% |
| Mid-South Christian College | 100% | — | $10,500 | $10,172 | — | 60% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Net price is the average annual cost after grants for students receiving federal aid. Earnings are median earnings 10 years after entering. A dash means the figure isn’t published for that school.
Le Moyne-Owen College has the lowest average net price in Tennessee at $7,099 a year after grants and scholarships. Austin Peay State University ($9,735) is next.
Students who enrolled at Vanderbilt University report median earnings of $91,565 ten years after entering.
Tennessee has 37 colleges with published admissions data — 10 public and 27 private. Acceptance rates range from 6% to 100%.
The median in-state tuition at public colleges in Tennessee is $10,516 a year, before room, board and other costs.
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