Cheapest Colleges in Tennessee
Sticker prices at the 36 four-year colleges we rank in Tennessee run from $8,616 to $67,498 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $58,882 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 10 public colleges here charge a median of $10,516 a year, $576 (6%) above the national public median of $9,940. The 26 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $30,032, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Tennessee State University ranks first at $8,616, ahead of Austin Peay State University ($9,006) and Middle Tennessee State University ($10,266).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Tennessee
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Tennessee has 36
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 36 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN Public · 4-year | $8,616 | $22,416 | $15,796 | 33% | 4,848 |
| 2 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Public · 4-year | $9,006 | $14,766 | $9,735 | 42% | 7,560 |
| 3 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN Public · 4-year | $10,266 | $31,574 | $13,359 | 54% | 16,301 |
| 4 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN Public · 4-year | $10,448 | $18,512 | $14,265 | 52% | 10,074 |
| 5 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 4-year | $10,472 | $14,522 | $15,983 | 52% | 10,004 |
| 6 | The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin, TN Public · 4-year | $10,560 | $16,600 | $10,701 | 54% | 4,866 |
| 7 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN Public · 4-year | $10,728 | $15,384 | $12,397 | 50% | 12,701 |
| 8 | The University of Tennessee Southern Pulaski, TN Public · 4-year | $10,924 | $10,924 | $12,798 | 36% | 864 |
| 9 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN Public · 4-year | $11,376 | $15,576 | $14,246 | 56% | 8,698 |
| 10 | Lane College Jackson, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $11,790 | — | $10,904 | 18% | 736 |
| 11 | Le Moyne-Owen College Memphis, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $12,076 | — | $7,099 | 26% | 581 |
| 12 | Baptist Health Sciences University Memphis, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $13,796 | — | $11,212 | 46% | 770 |
| 13 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 4-year | $13,812 | $33,256 | $18,976 | 74% | 30,418 |
| 14 | Bethel University (TN) McKenzie, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,712 | — | $12,595 | 35% | 1,547 |
| 15 | Bryan College-Dayton Dayton, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,800 | — | $20,614 | 53% | 814 |
| 16 | Johnson University Knoxville, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,122 | — | $22,063 | 59% | 743 |
| 17 | Lee University Cleveland, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,790 | — | $18,878 | 62% | 2,617 |
| 18 | Freed-Hardeman University Henderson, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,620 | — | $21,574 | 70% | 1,212 |
| 19 | Fisk University Nashville, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,858 | — | $32,020 | 35% | 1,035 |
| 20 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,938 | — | $20,406 | 52% | 1,572 |
| 21 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,300 | — | $24,345 | 50% | 2,773 |
| 22 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,840 | — | $18,759 | 46% | 2,104 |
| 23 | Tusculum University Greeneville, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,250 | — | $21,131 | 28% | 785 |
| 24 | Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,814 | — | $14,836 | 46% | 846 |
| 25 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,300 | — | $16,813 | 54% | 1,737 |
| 26 | Carson-Newman University Jefferson City, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,700 | — | $20,251 | 50% | 1,387 |
| 27 | King University Bristol, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,194 | — | $22,347 | 47% | 908 |
| 28 | Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,420 | — | $9,854 | 55% | 905 |
| 29 | Maryville College Maryville, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $39,284 | — | $19,360 | 49% | 1,005 |
| 30 | Union University Jackson, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,025 | — | $27,171 | 68% | 1,607 |
| 31 | Milligan University Milligan, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,450 | — | $21,365 | 62% | 818 |
| 32 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,572 | — | $24,739 | 70% | 2,997 |
| 33 | Belmont University Nashville, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $42,540 | — | $33,147 | 71% | 7,137 |
| 34 | The University of the South Sewanee, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $56,120 | — | $27,872 | 81% | 1,607 |
| 35 | Rhodes College Memphis, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $57,110 | — | $28,585 | 83% | 1,836 |
| 36 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $67,498 | — | $15,846 | 93% | 7,208 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Tennessee, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Tennessee
Cheap colleges in Tennessee for out-of-state students
23 schools
Community colleges in Tennessee
13 schools
Best value colleges in Tennessee
29 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Tennessee
37 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Tennessee
26 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in North Carolina
47 schools
Cheapest colleges in Georgia
43 schools
Cheapest colleges in Virginia
38 schools
All 58 colleges in Tennessee See the national version of this ranking