22 colleges in Tennessee with an average net price under $20,000 a year, ranked by what families actually pay after aid. Cheapest: The University of Tennessee Southern at $6,690.
Net price is the average a family pays after grant aid — not the published sticker price. Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Schools granting only associate degrees are excluded, so a community college appears here only if it also awards bachelor's degrees.
Compare these on the map| # | College | Net price / yr | Graduates | Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Tennessee Southern Pulaski, TN |
$6,690$21,358 | 32% | 87% |
| 2 | Le Moyne-Owen College Memphis, TN |
$6,993$18,556 | 24% | 99% |
| 3 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN |
$9,049$21,696 | 42% | 96% |
| 4 | Baptist Health Sciences University Memphis, TN |
$10,165$26,103 | 33% | 82% |
| 5 | The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin, TN |
$10,211$24,017 | 51% | 88% |
| 6 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN |
$12,154$25,814 | 34% | 70% |
| 7 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN |
$12,192$25,805 | 53% | 72% |
| 8 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN |
$12,562$24,577 | 54% | 69% |
| 9 | Lane College Jackson, TN |
$12,660$23,527 | 18% | — |
| 10 | Bethel University McKenzie, TN |
$13,267$32,047 | 29% | 60% |
| 11 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN |
$14,208$25,869 | 55% | 86% |
| 12 | Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, TN |
$14,965$40,873 | 49% | 69% |
| 13 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN |
$15,026$26,951 | 56% | 81% |
| 14 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN |
$15,497$94,142 | 93% | 6% |
| 15 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN |
$15,965$40,411 | 45% | 67% |
| 16 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN |
$16,830$29,486 | 56% | 76% |
| 17 | Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN |
$16,842$49,561 | 55% | 87% |
| 18 | South College Knoxville, TN |
$17,273$30,485 | 45% | — |
| 19 | Carson-Newman University Jefferson City, TN |
$18,130$50,237 | 54% | 90% |
| 20 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN |
$18,314$35,064 | 74% | 42% |
| 21 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN |
$19,828$42,813 | 51% | 69% |
| 22 | Milligan University Milligan, TN |
$20,000$53,539 | 62% | 72% |