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Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$20,572 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$62,654 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Engineering School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, engineering was ranked 9th in Tennessee. In fact, 2,281 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Tennessee to see which programs offered the best value experiences for engineering students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Engineering Colleges.

Best Tennessee Schools for Affordable Quality in Engineering

$9,802 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Tennessee Technological University to be the best value school for engineering students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Tennessee Tech University is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Cookeville.

Tennessee Tech University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,802 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Tennessee Tech University accumulate an average of around $19,377 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $103.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Tennessee Tech University also did well on our Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Engineering at Tennessee Technological University

$9,848 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best engineering schools in Tennessee. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chattanooga.

UT Chattanooga undergraduate students pay an average of $9,848 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, engineering graduates from UT Chattanooga carry an average student debtload of $24,908.

Read More…

$13,244 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the # 3 spot on the list. UT Knoxville is a very large public school located in the city of Knoxville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Knoxville are $13,244 per year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at UT Knoxville take out is $23,451. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $327, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

UT Knoxville also made our Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee list, coming in at #4.

Read full report on Engineering at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#4

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN
$8,336 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tennessee State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee list. Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Nashville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tennessee State University are $8,336 a year. After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Tennessee State University carry an average student debtload of $31,000.

Full Engineering at Tennessee State University Report

#5

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Memphis. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UofM are $10,056 per year. Engineering majors at UofM take out an average of $25,200 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Engineering at University of Memphis

#6

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN
$56,966 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Vanderbilt University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for engineering students. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Vanderbilt are $56,966 per year. After completing their degree, engineering graduates from Vanderbilt carry an average student debtload of $17,040.

Vanderbilt not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Engineering Schools in Tennessee list.

Full Engineering at Vanderbilt University Report

#7

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN
$35,752 Average Tuition & Fees

Lipscomb University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value engineering programs. Lipscomb is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lipscomb are $35,752 a year. The average amount in student loans that engineering majors at Lipscomb take out is $27,000.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Lipscomb is ranked #5 for overall quality for engineering in Tennessee.

Full Engineering at Lipscomb University Report

$34,820 Average Tuition & Fees

Christian Brothers University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Tennessee list. Christian Brothers is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Memphis.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Christian Brothers are $34,820 per year. While working on their degree, engineering majors at Christian Brothers accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

Read full report on Engineering at Christian Brothers University

Best Value Engineering Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Engineering Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 5,126
West Virginia 990
Florida 9,040
Virginia 5,181
Arkansas 1,082
Mississippi 1,512
South Carolina 2,318
Louisiana 1,832
Alabama 3,927
Kentucky 1,343
Georgia 5,301

Engineering Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Civil Engineering 21,388
Computer Engineering 17,987
Chemical Engineering 12,917
Biomedical Engineering 12,811
General Engineering 11,796
Industrial Engineering 9,072
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 8,001
Systems Engineering 3,904
Materials Engineering 3,415
Other Engineering 2,760
Environmental Engineering 2,759
Operations Research 1,698
Agricultural Engineering 1,472
Engineering Science 1,454
Electrical and Computer Engineering. 1,378
Petroleum Engineering 1,256
Robotics Engineering 1,243
Architectural Engineering 1,012
Engineering Physics 994
Manufacturing Engineering 947
Construction Engineering 878
Nuclear Engineering 864
Marine Engineering 445
Biological Engineering 410
Polymer & Plastics Engineering 360
Geoscience Engineering 325
Mining Engineering 314
Textile Engineering 310
Ocean Engineering 285
Engineering Mechanics 272
Metallurgical Engineering 179
Energy Systems Engineering 138
Biochemical Engineering 109
Ceramic Engineering 94
Surveying Engineering 73
Electromechanical Engineering 45
Forest Engineering 41
Paper Science & Engineering 27
Engineering Chemistry 13

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer & Information Sciences 254,454
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 177,778
Engineering Technologies 85,188
Mathematics & Statistics 52,396
Physical Sciences 50,306

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 8 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Petty Officer 3rd Class Declan Barnes.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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