2023 Best 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Schools in Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 40 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
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Top Schools in Tennessee
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Vanderbilt University to be the best school for students in Tennessee. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 5,493 degrees in .
Degree recipients from Vanderbilt accumulate an average of $69,141 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Vanderbilt graduates make an average of $77,997 annually.
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Out of the 40 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Sewanee - The University of the South landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Sewanee, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 465 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Sewanee graduates make an average of $36,927 annually.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Belmont University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Schools in Tennessee list. Belmont is located in Nashville, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 2,262 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $75,608 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Belmont, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $49,699 during the early years of their career.
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Out of the 40 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the # 4 spot on the list. UT Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 8,489 degrees in .
Degree recipients from UT Knoxville accumulate an average of $43,355 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, UT Knoxville graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $49,826 during the early year of their career.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lipscomb University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Schools in Tennessee list. Lipscomb is located in Nashville, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,678 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $46,384 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Lipscomb, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $48,949 during the early years of their career.
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Rhodes College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Tennessee ranking. Rhodes College is located in Memphis, Tennessee and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 548 degrees to qualified students.
Once they receive their degree, Rhodes College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $40,807 during the early year of their career.
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Bethel University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #7 on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in McKenzie, Tennessee, and it awarded 1,287 degrees in .
On average, students take out $12,959 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Bethel graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $62,331 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #8, Volunteer State Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Located in Gallatin, Tennessee, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,622 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,049 in student loans.After graduating from VSCC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $40,137 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #9, Tennessee Technological University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Located in Cookeville, Tennessee, the fairly large public school awarded 2,515 diplomas to qualifed students in .
Degree recipients from Tennessee Tech University accumulate an average of $16,447 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, Tennessee Tech University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $46,981 during the early year of their career.
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King University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Tennessee ranking. King is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bristol, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 562 degrees in .
Degree recipients from King accumulate an average of $17,724 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, King graduates make an average of $49,297 annually.
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Jackson State Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Schools in Tennessee list. Jackson State Community College is a small public school located in Jackson, Tennessee that handed out 665 degrees in .
Once they receive their degree, JSCC graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $41,438 during the early year of their career.
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The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #12 on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and it awarded 2,666 degrees in .
Degree recipients from UT Chattanooga accumulate an average of $23,352 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, UT Chattanooga graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $50,000 during the early year of their career.
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Union University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Jackson, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 835 students in .
Degree recipients from Union accumulate an average of $24,024 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from Union, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $68,508 during the early years of their career.
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Middle Tennessee State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the large public school handed out 4,919 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,471 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Middle Tennessee State University graduates make an average of $43,575 annually.
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With a ranking of #15, Milligan University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Milligan is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Milligan, Tennessee. It awarded 368 degrees in .
During the early years of their career, Milligan graduates make an average of $64,327 annually.
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Freed-Hardeman University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Tennessee ranking. FHU is located in Henderson, Tennessee and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 488 degrees to qualified students.
On average, students take out $24,204 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, FHU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $54,530 during the early year of their career.
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University of Memphis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Tennessee ranking. UofM is a public institution located in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,018 degrees in .
Degree recipients from UofM accumulate an average of $23,301 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, UofM graduates make an average of $48,890 annually.
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With a ranking of #18, Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Trevecca Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 1,029 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,759 in student loans.After graduating from TNU, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $52,004 during the early years of their career.
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Remington College - Memphis Campus landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Remington College - Memphis Campus is a very small private not-for-profit school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 176 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,427 in student loans.After graduating from Remington College - Memphis Campus, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $27,424 during the early years of their career.
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The University of Tennessee - Martin came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Tennessee ranking. UT Martin is a medium-sized public school situated in Martin, Tennessee. It awarded 1,303 degrees in .
On average, students take out $21,083 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from UT Martin, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $40,400 during the early years of their career.
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Christian Brothers University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 782 diplomas to qualifed students in .
On average, students take out $33,377 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Christian Brothers graduates make an average of $51,040 annually.
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Southwest Tennessee Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #22 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 996 degrees in .
On average, students take out $9,702 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Southwest, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $43,592 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #23, Southern Adventist University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Southern Adventist is located in Collegedale, Tennessee and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 607 degrees to qualified students.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,371 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Southern Adventist graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $61,366 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #24, Lee University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Located in Cleveland, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 1,050 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,639 in student loans.After graduating from Lee University, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $38,249 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #25, Carson - Newman University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, and it awarded 900 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,745 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Carson - Newman graduates make an average of $48,797 annually.
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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.
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