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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities 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 / 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.

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

Check out the liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools

$4,384 Average Tuition & Fees

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 medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at VSCC are $4,384 per year. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from VSCC take out $8,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

VSCC also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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

$4,416 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Motlow State Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in Tennessee. 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. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from Motlow take out $5,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

$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 & Humanities 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. 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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$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 / sciences and humanities schools in Tennessee. Chattanooga State Community College is a medium-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. 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.

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

$4,456 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Pellissippi State Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Tennessee list. Pellissippi State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Knoxville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Pellissippi State Community College are $4,456 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Pellissippi State Community College take out is $8,617.

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

$4,430 Average Tuition & Fees

Southwest Tennessee Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities 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. After completing their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from Southwest carry an average student debtload of $8,250.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Southwest Tennessee Community College

$4,399 Average Tuition & Fees

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 college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WSCC are $4,399 per 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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$4,372 Average Tuition & Fees

Nashville State Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Nashville State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Nashville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Nashville State Community College are $4,372 a 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.

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

$4,666 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Columbia State Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Columbia State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Columbia.

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

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

$4,400 Average Tuition & Fees

Cleveland State Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Located in the 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. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Cleveland State Community College take out is $11,708.

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

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 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.

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