2026 Best Return on Investment in Tennessee

Name: 2026 Best Return on Investment in Tennessee (Kollegio college rankings)
Creator: Kollegio
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

36 Tennessee schools ranked in Kollegio's 2026 Best Return on Investment ranking, based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

Showing 1–25 of 36 colleges · How we rank colleges

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Cost of attendance after aid

ⓘ

$77,180

Institution type

2 Year4 Year5 Year

Field of study

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Campus Detail

Institution setting

AllCitySuburbanRural

Undergraduate enrollment

ⓘ

268763

Financial

Alumni starting salary

Tuition cost

ⓘ

$67,000

In-state tuition

ⓘ

Proportion of need based aid received

ⓘ

100%Clear Filter

International students received aid

ⓘ

100%

Average aid package

ⓘ

$82,308

Application fee

ⓘ

$150

Academics

Mean GPA

ⓘ

Mean SAT

ⓘ

1200

Mean ACT

ⓘ

#1 Best Return on Investment

Vanderbilt University

Nashville

Acceptance rate

6.3%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$54,840

Avg. Cost after Aid

$28,000

#2 Best Return on Investment

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Knoxville

Acceptance rate

41.6%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$11,332

Avg. Cost after Aid

$22,000

#3 Best Return on Investment

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Chattanooga

Acceptance rate

81.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$7,992

Avg. Cost after Aid

$14,000

#4 Best Return on Investment

Baptist Health Sciences University

Memphis

Acceptance rate

67.8%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$13,890

Avg. Cost after Aid

$6,000

#5 Best Return on Investment

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville

Acceptance rate

83.2%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$8,520

Avg. Cost after Aid

$14,207

#6 Best Return on Investment

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro

Acceptance rate

68.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$7,344

Avg. Cost after Aid

$13,000

#7 Best Return on Investment

Cumberland University

Lebanon

Acceptance rate

67.0%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$24,336

Avg. Cost after Aid

$28,000

#8 Best Return on Investment

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville

Acceptance rate

70.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$25,998

Avg. Cost after Aid

$16,000

#9 Best Return on Investment

Rhodes College

Memphis

Acceptance rate

49.7%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$50,600

Avg. Cost after Aid

$8,851

#10 Best Return on Investment

Christian Brothers University

Memphis

Acceptance rate

88.4%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$34,820

Avg. Cost after Aid

$19,000

#11 Best Return on Investment

University of Tennessee at Martin

Martin

Acceptance rate

88.2%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$8,378

Avg. Cost after Aid

$12,000

#12 Best Return on Investment

Bryan College

Dayton

Acceptance rate

97.2%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$16,900

Avg. Cost after Aid

$16,000

#13 Best Return on Investment

The University of the South

Sewanee

Acceptance rate

50.9%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$49,146

Avg. Cost after Aid

$30,000

#14 Best Return on Investment

Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate

Acceptance rate

59.3%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$23,760

Avg. Cost after Aid

$23,000

#15 Best Return on Investment

University of Memphis

Memphis

Acceptance rate

93.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$8,352

Avg. Cost after Aid

$14,000

#16 Best Return on Investment

Lipscomb University

Nashville

Acceptance rate

66.6%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$33,012

Avg. Cost after Aid

$27,000

#17 Best Return on Investment

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City

Acceptance rate

87.1%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$7,486

Avg. Cost after Aid

$14,000

#18 Best Return on Investment

Tennessee Wesleyan University

Athens

Acceptance rate

59.4%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$25,340

Avg. Cost after Aid

$15,000

#19 Best Return on Investment

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville

Acceptance rate

96.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$6,816

Avg. Cost after Aid

$15,000

#20 Best Return on Investment

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson

Acceptance rate

90.6%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$23,300

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,000

#21 Best Return on Investment

Union University

Jackson

Acceptance rate

47.2%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$31,040

Avg. Cost after Aid

$28,000

#22 Best Return on Investment

King University

Bristol

Acceptance rate

54.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$31,050

Avg. Cost after Aid

$22,000

#23 Best Return on Investment

Belmont University

Nashville

Acceptance rate

96.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$36,650

Avg. Cost after Aid

$35,000

#24 Best Return on Investment

Carson-Newman University

Jefferson City

Acceptance rate

68.3%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$29,920

Avg. Cost after Aid

$18,000

#25 Best Return on Investment

University of Tennessee Southern

Pulaski

Acceptance rate

82.7%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$9,000

Avg. Cost after Aid

$20,000

2026 Best Return on Investment in Tennessee

Best Return on Investment in nearby states

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