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.
The best-value college in Tennessee is Baptist Health Sciences University, Memphis — a net price of $11,212 against $72,529 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 6.5×, 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 | $11,212 | $72,529 | 6.5× | 54% | $13,796 |
| 2 | Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN | $9,854 | $57,478 | 5.8× | 56% | $38,420 |
| 3 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | $15,846 | $91,565 | 5.8× | 93% | $67,498 |
| 4 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN | $13,359 | $48,541 | 3.6× | 54% | $10,266 |
| 5 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN | $14,265 | $51,151 | 3.6× | 53% | $10,448 |
| 6 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN | $14,246 | $48,501 | 3.4× | 54% | $11,376 |
| 7 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN | $18,976 | $60,249 | 3.2× | 74% | $13,812 |
| 8 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN | $16,813 | $49,378 | 2.9× | 55% | $31,300 |
| 9 | Bryan College-Dayton Dayton, TN | $20,614 | $54,434 | 2.6× | 56% | $19,800 |
| 10 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN | $20,406 | $49,956 | 2.4× | 54% | $26,938 |
| 11 | Rhodes College Memphis, TN | $28,585 | $66,651 | 2.3× | 82% | $57,110 |
| 12 | The University of the South Sewanee, TN | $27,872 | $64,911 | 2.3× | 82% | $56,120 |
| 13 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN | $24,739 | $55,541 | 2.2× | 69% | $40,572 |
| 14 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN | $24,345 | $53,723 | 2.2× | 51% | $27,300 |
| 15 | Freed-Hardeman University Henderson, TN | $21,574 | $47,485 | 2.2× | 68% | $25,620 |
| 16 | Milligan University Milligan, TN | $21,365 | $46,641 | 2.2× | 60% | $40,450 |
| 17 | Union University Jackson, TN | $27,171 | $53,990 | 2.0× | 71% | $40,025 |
| 18 | Belmont University Nashville, TN | $33,147 | $55,930 | 1.7× | 72% | $42,540 |
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 $11,212 against $72,529 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 6.5× (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.
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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. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.