2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Tennessee
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You
Public Administration & Social Service is the #14 most popular major in Tennessee with 1,564 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in Tennessee to see which programs offered the best value experiences for public administration and social service 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.
Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Middle Tennessee State University the best value school in Tennessee for public administration and social service students. Middle Tennessee State University is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro.
Middle Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,232 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from Middle Tennessee State University carry an average student debtload of $24,249.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Tennessee list. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chattanooga.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Chattanooga are $9,848 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from UT Chattanooga carry an average student debtload of $22,375.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Tennessee State University is a great value for public administration and social service students. Tennessee State University is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Nashville.
Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,336 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Tennessee State University accumulate an average of around $31,000 in student debt.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Memphis is a great value for public administration and social service students. 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. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at UofM accumulate an average of around $34,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $110, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Union University is a great value for public administration and social service students. Union is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Jackson.
Union undergraduate students pay an average of $16,520 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public administration and social service majors at Union accumulate an average of around $29,166 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #6, East Tennessee State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public administration and social service students. Located in the small city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ETSU are $9,438 per year. Public Administration & Social Service majors at ETSU take out an average of $24,185 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Tennessee list. UT Knoxville is a fairly large public school located in the city of Knoxville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Knoxville are $13,244 a year. After completing their degree, public administration and social service graduates from UT Knoxville carry an average student debtload of $22,000.
UT Knoxville not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Tennessee list.
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Austin Peay State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value public administration and social service programs. Austin Peay State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Clarksville.
Austin Peay State University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,431 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Austin Peay State University take out $28,521 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Southern Adventist University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #9 on the list. Southern Adventist is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Collegedale.
Southern Adventist undergraduate students pay an average of $23,210 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, public administration and social service graduates from Southern Adventist take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Vanderbilt University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Tennessee list. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.
Vanderbilt undergraduate students pay an average of $56,966 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Vanderbilt did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Tennessee list.
Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Vanderbilt University
Request InformationBest Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 2,840 |
| West Virginia | 504 |
| Mississippi | 752 |
| South Carolina | 708 |
| Florida | 4,199 |
| Virginia | 2,154 |
| Arkansas | 683 |
| Alabama | 1,668 |
| Kentucky | 2,072 |
| Georgia | 1,475 |
| Louisiana | 1,118 |
More Public Administration & Social Service Rankings in Tennessee
Public Administration & Social Service Related Majors for Public Administration & Social Service
Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Work | 58,326 |
| Public Administration | 16,905 |
| Human Services | 13,238 |
| Public Policy | 6,430 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 3,096 |
| Other Public Administration | 588 |
Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting | 142,610 |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 73,813 |
| Legal Professions | 61,055 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 4,477 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 10 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 University of the Fraser Valley.
More about our data sources and methodologies.