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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

15 Colleges
$5,533 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, liberal arts / sciences and humanities students earned 10,186 degrees and certificates from a Tennessee school, making the subject the 3rd in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Tennessee to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Volunteer State Community College the best value school in Tennessee for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Gallatin, VSCC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at VSCC are $4,384 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, VSCC is ranked #1 for overall quality for liberal arts / sciences and humanities in Tennessee.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Volunteer State Community College

Out of the 15 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.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Motlow are $4,416 per year.

Motlow also took the #2 spot in our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee rankings.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Motlow State Community College

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 & Humanities Associate Degree 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.

JSCC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list.

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Out of the 15 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Chattanooga State Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Chattanooga State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Chattanooga.

Chattanooga State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,430 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Pellissippi State Community College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Pellissippi State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Knoxville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pellissippi State Community College are $4,456 a year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Pellissippi State Community College

Southwest Tennessee Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the large 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.

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With a ranking of #7, Walters State Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Morristown, WSCC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WSCC are $4,399 a year.

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Nashville State Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Nashville State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Nashville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Nashville State Community College are $4,372 per year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Nashville State Community College

Columbia State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Columbia State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Columbia.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Columbia State Community College are $4,666 a year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Columbia State Community College Report

Cleveland State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the small city of Cleveland, Cleveland State Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cleveland State Community College are $4,400 a year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cleveland State Community College Report

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

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

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts General Studies 556,813

Majors Similar to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

Related Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 149,215
English Language & Literature 54,635
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459
Philosophy & Religious Studies 19,993

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 15 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 Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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