2023 Best Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 29 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Vanderbilt University to be the best school for students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Tennessee. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,590 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in .
Vanderbilt does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $63,946. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sewanee - The University of the South. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Sewanee is a private not-for-profit institution located in Sewanee, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 419 bachelor’s degrees in .
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $53,704 to cover tuition and fees at Sewanee. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Belmont University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 1,681 bachelor’s degrees in .
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $41,320 to cover tuition and fees at Belmont. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Bethel University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Tennessee. Located in McKenzie, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 793 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in .
The average tuition and fees at Bethel is $17,530. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the large public school awarded 5,746 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in .
Students from Tennessee who attend UT Knoxville full time pay an average of $13,484 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $31,974.
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With a ranking of #6, Lipscomb University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 698 bachelor’s degree awards in .
The average tuition and fees at Lipscomb is $38,824. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
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Rhodes College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs. Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 529 bachelor’s degrees in .
If you want to attend Rhodes College, expect to pay an average of $54,892 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
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With a ranking of #8, King University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree. King is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bristol, Tennessee. It awarded 374 bachelor’s degrees in .
If you want to attend King, expect to pay an average of $34,800 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
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With a ranking of #9, Tennessee Technological University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Tennessee Tech University is located in Cookeville, Tennessee and has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 1,824 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
Students from Tennessee who attend Tennessee Tech University full time pay an average of $10,084 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $20,116.
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The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs. Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the fairly large public school handed out 2,171 bachelor’s degree awards in .
Full-time students from Tennessee pay an average of $10,144 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend UT Chattanooga. Out-of-state students pay an average of $18,208.
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Union University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Jackson, Tennessee, and it awarded 428 bachelor’s degrees in .
Union does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $20,302. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
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With a ranking of #12, University of Memphis did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree. UofM is a large public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 3,039 bachelor’s degrees in .
In-state students pay an average of $10,344 in tuition and fees if they attend UofM full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $14,784.
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Middle Tennessee State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the large public school handed out 3,847 bachelor’s degree awards in .
Students from Tennessee who attend Middle Tennessee State University full time pay an average of $9,506 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $29,042.
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With a ranking of #14, Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 383 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in .
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $30,090 to cover tuition and fees at TNU. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
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With a ranking of #15, Freed-Hardeman University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree. FHU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Henderson, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 316 bachelor’s degrees in .
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Tennessee Wesleyan University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. TWU is located in Athens, Tennessee and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 292 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $29,264 to cover tuition and fees at TWU. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
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The University of Tennessee - Martin landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs. UT Martin is a medium-sized public school situated in Martin, Tennessee. It awarded 1,027 bachelor’s degrees in .
Students from Tennessee who attend UT Martin full time pay an average of $10,194 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $16,234.
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Lee University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Cleveland, Tennessee, and it awarded 830 bachelor’s degrees in .
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $22,690 to cover tuition and fees at Lee University. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
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Christian Brothers University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 368 bachelor’s degrees in .
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With a ranking of #20, Carson - Newman University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 389 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in .
If you want to attend Carson - Newman, expect to pay an average of $34,700 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
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Southern Adventist University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in Collegedale, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 360 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in .
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $25,590 to cover tuition and fees at Southern Adventist. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
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Cumberland University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs. Cumberland University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Lebanon, Tennessee that handed out 317 bachelor’s degrees in .
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $27,840 to cover tuition and fees at CU. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
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Tennessee State University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree programs. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 756 students in .
Full-time students from Tennessee pay an average of $8,568 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Tennessee State University. Out-of-state students pay an average of $22,284.
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With a ranking of #24, Milligan University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Milligan, Tennessee, and it awarded 222 bachelor’s degrees in .
The average tuition and fees at Milligan is $39,350. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
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Maryville College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Maryville College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Maryville, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 185 bachelor’s degrees in .
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $38,514 to cover tuition and fees at Maryville College. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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