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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

23 Colleges
$8,636 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$29,220 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, liberal arts general studies was the most popular one in Tennessee. In total, 10,186 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 23 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best value programs for liberal arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools

$4,384 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Volunteer State Community College the best value school in Tennessee for liberal arts general studies students. Located in the suburb of Gallatin, VSCC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

VSCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,384 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from VSCC take out $8,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, VSCC also did well on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Volunteer State Community College

$4,416 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 23 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Motlow State Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Tullahoma, Motlow is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Motlow are $4,416 a year. Liberal Arts majors at Motlow take out an average of $5,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Motlow State Community College Report

$4,618 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Jackson State Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee list. JSCC is a small public school located in the city of Jackson.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at JSCC are $4,618 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at JSCC take out is $5,500.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Jackson State Community College

$4,430 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Chattanooga State Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts general studies schools in Tennessee. Chattanooga State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Chattanooga State Community College are $4,430 a year. After completing their degree, liberal arts graduates from Chattanooga State Community College carry an average student debtload of $12,000.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Chattanooga State Community College

$4,456 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Pellissippi State Community College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students. Pellissippi State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Knoxville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pellissippi State Community College are $4,456 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Pellissippi State Community College take out is $8,617.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Pellissippi State Community College

$4,430 Average Tuition & Fees

Southwest Tennessee Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Memphis, Southwest is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southwest are $4,430 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Southwest take out $8,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

$4,399 Average Tuition & Fees

Walters State Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the small city of Morristown, WSCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WSCC are $4,399 a year. Liberal Arts majors at WSCC take out an average of $5,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Walters State Community College Report

$4,372 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Nashville State Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students. Nashville State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Nashville.

Nashville State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,372 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Nashville State Community College take out is $13,824.

Read More…

$4,666 Average Tuition & Fees

Columbia State Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee list. Columbia State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Columbia.

Columbia State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,666 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Columbia State Community College take out $8,807 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Columbia State Community College

$4,400 Average Tuition & Fees

Cleveland State Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Cleveland, Cleveland State Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Cleveland State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,400 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at Cleveland State Community College take out an average of $11,708 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Cleveland State Community College

Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 7,724
Virginia 9,302
North Carolina 18,234
Florida 64,444
Kentucky 6,493
South Carolina 4,243
Louisiana 2,864
Arkansas 5,205
Alabama 5,890
Mississippi 5,696
West Virginia 3,558

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 23 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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