Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in Tennessee
CampusPin lists 79 colleges in Tennessee. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $10,530 and a median average net price of $11,429 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
Tennessee college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Nashville State Community College ($4,730)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $10,530
- Median net price after aid (40 reporting)
- $11,429
- Highest graduation rate
- Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers (87%)
- Most selective
- The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (42% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (36,184 students)
Tennessee colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville State Community College | $4,730 | $17,714 | $6,777 | 18% | 100% | Public | Nashville, TN |
| Motlow State Community College | $4,738 | $17,722 | $10,421 | 34% | 100% | Public | Tullahoma, TN |
| Jackson State Community College | $4,740 | $17,724 | $6,236 | 26% | 100% | Public | Jackson, TN |
| Walters State Community College | $4,752 | $17,736 | $5,387 | 33% | 100% | Public | Morristown, TN |
| Volunteer State Community College | $4,756 | $17,740 | $7,802 | 28% | 100% | Public | Gallatin, TN |
| Dyersburg State Community College | $4,758 | $17,742 | $4,612 | 34% | 100% | Public | Dyersburg, TN |
| Cleveland State Community College | $4,762 | $17,746 | $6,384 | 37% | 100% | Public | Cleveland, TN |
| Chattanooga State Community College | $4,772 | $17,756 | $5,283 | 26% | 100% | Public | Chattanooga, TN |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | $4,778 | $17,750 | $4,754 | 19% | 100% | Public | Memphis, TN |
| Northeast State Community College | $4,782 | $17,766 | $6,864 | 33% | 100% | Public | Blountville, TN |
| Pellissippi State Community College | $4,786 | $17,770 | $4,983 | 31% | 100% | Public | Knoxville, TN |
| Roane State Community College | $4,998 | $18,630 | $4,270 | 36% | 100% | Public | Harriman, TN |
| Columbia State Community College | $5,296 | $18,112 | $4,734 | 30% | 100% | Public | Columbia, TN |
| Tennessee State University | $8,616 | $22,416 | $10,026 | 34% | 70% | Public | Nashville, TN |
| Austin Peay State University | $9,006 | $14,766 | $9,735 | 40% | 96% | Public | Clarksville, TN |
| William R Moore College of Technology | $9,723 | $9,723 | $14,957 | 50% | 100% | Private | Memphis, TN |
| Middle Tennessee State University | $10,266 | $31,574 | $13,359 | 54% | 69% | Public | Murfreesboro, TN |
| The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | $10,448 | $18,512 | $14,265 | 50% | 81% | Public | Chattanooga, TN |
| East Tennessee State University | $10,472 | $14,522 | $15,983 | 53% | 86% | Public | Johnson City, TN |
| Mid-South Christian College | $10,500 | $10,500 | $10,172 | 60% | 100% | Private | Memphis, TN |
| The University of Tennessee-Martin | $10,560 | $16,600 | $10,701 | 53% | 88% | Public | Martin, TN |
| University of Memphis | $10,728 | $15,384 | $12,397 | 51% | 72% | Public | Memphis, TN |
| The University of Tennessee Southern | $10,924 | $10,924 | $12,798 | 37% | 87% | Public | Pulaski, TN |
| Tennessee Technological University | $11,376 | $15,576 | $14,246 | 58% | 76% | Public | Cookeville, TN |
| Lane College | $11,790 | $11,790 | $10,904 | 18% | 100% | Private | Jackson, TN |
| Le Moyne-Owen College | $12,076 | $12,076 | $7,099 | 27% | 99% | Private | Memphis, TN |
| John A Gupton College | $12,223 | $12,223 | $19,334 | 38% | 100% | Private | Nashville, TN |
| Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers | $12,709 | $12,709 | $33,625 | 87% | 100% | Private | Chattanooga, TN |
| American Baptist College | $13,604 | $13,604 | $19,294 | 39% | 100% | Private | Nashville, TN |
| Baptist Health Sciences University | $13,796 | $13,796 | $11,212 | 40% | 82% | Private | Memphis, TN |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | $13,812 | $33,256 | $18,976 | 74% | 42% | Public | Knoxville, TN |
| Strayer University-Tennessee | $13,920 | $13,920 | $11,645 | Not reported | 100% | Private | Memphis, TN |
| Fortis Institute-Cookeville | $15,120 | $15,120 | $23,582 | 50% | 100% | Private | Cookeville, TN |
| Fortis Institute-Nashville | $15,627 | $15,627 | $29,039 | 43% | 100% | Private | Nashville, TN |
| Williamson Christian College | $16,090 | $16,090 | $22,721 | 67% | 100% | Private | Franklin, TN |
| Remington College-Nashville Campus | $16,258 | $16,258 | $29,098 | 47% | 100% | Private | Nashville, TN |
| Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus | $17,048 | $17,048 | $27,267 | Not reported | 100% | Private | Nashville, TN |
| Remington College-Memphis Campus | $17,083 | $17,083 | $26,572 | 38% | 100% | Private | Memphis, TN |
| SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville | $17,514 | $17,514 | $24,700 | 42% | 100% | Private | Nashville, TN |
| Bethel University | $18,168 | $18,168 | $21,803 | 35% | 97% | Private | McKenzie, TN |
What the Tennessee cost data shows
- Nashville State Community College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $4,730 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median published in-state tuition is $4,998 across the public colleges here and $13,920 across the private ones — a $8,922 difference at sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, so compare net price before ruling one out.
- Median average net price is $11,429 across the 40 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for Tennessee, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (79 of 79 Tennessee institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in Tennessee?
- Of the 40 Tennessee colleges on this page, Nashville State Community College in Nashville reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $4,730 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 40 Tennessee colleges reporting it here the median is $11,429. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Are public colleges cheaper than private colleges in Tennessee?
- At sticker price, yes on this page: median published in-state tuition is $4,998 at the public colleges listed and $13,920 at the private ones. Private colleges typically discount more heavily through institutional grants, so the gap in net price is usually much smaller than the gap in tuition.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a Tennessee college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for Tennessee colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in Tennessee. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/tennessee