2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best value programs for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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.
Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools
Our analysis found Volunteer State Community College to be the best value school for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Located in the suburb of Gallatin, VSCC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at VSCC are $4,384 a year. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from VSCC take out $8,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, VSCC is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Motlow State Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the rural area of Tullahoma, Motlow is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Motlow are $4,416 per year. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from Motlow take out $5,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Jackson State Community College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. JSCC is a small public school located in the small city of Jackson.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at JSCC are $4,618 per year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at JSCC accumulate an average of around $5,500 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Chattanooga State Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee list. Chattanooga State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Chattanooga.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chattanooga State Community College are $4,430 per year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Chattanooga State Community College accumulate an average of around $12,000 in student debt.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pellissippi State Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee list. Pellissippi State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Knoxville.
Pellissippi State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,456 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Pellissippi State Community College take out is $8,617.
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Southwest Tennessee Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Memphis, Southwest is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southwest are $4,430 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from Southwest carry an average student debtload of $8,250.
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Walters State Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the 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. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at WSCC accumulate an average of around $5,500 in student debt.
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Nashville State Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee ranking. Nashville State Community College is a medium-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. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from Nashville State Community College take out $13,824 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Columbia State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. It came in at #9 on the list. Columbia State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Columbia.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia State Community College are $4,666 per year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Columbia State Community College accumulate an average of around $8,807 in student debt.
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Cleveland State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the small city of Cleveland, Cleveland State Community College is a public college 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. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Cleveland State Community College take out is $11,708.
Request InformationBest Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 18,234 |
| West Virginia | 3,558 |
| Mississippi | 5,696 |
| South Carolina | 4,243 |
| Florida | 64,444 |
| Virginia | 9,302 |
| Arkansas | 5,205 |
| Alabama | 5,890 |
| Kentucky | 6,493 |
| Georgia | 7,724 |
| Louisiana | 2,864 |
More Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Rankings in Tennessee
Majors Related to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
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 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).
More about our data sources and methodologies.