The cost of college in Tennessee — and what it pays back
Across the 91 Tennessee institutions we profile, the median net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — is $15,269/yr, $1,633 below the $16,902 national median. Graduates earn a median $39,544 ten years after entry (below the $43,549 national median), and 22 of the 91 schools clear their full cost on institution-wide earnings. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
How Tennessee's 91 colleges split by ROI verdict
Verdicts: payback under 5 / 10 / 20 / over 20 years (or none).
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | $15,846 | $91,565 | 1.5 yrs |
| Baptist Health Sciences University | $11,212 | $72,529 | 1.9 yrs |
| Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus | $27,267 | $61,480 | 4.2 yrs |
| Christian Brothers University | $9,854 | $57,478 | 4.3 yrs |
| Rhodes College | $28,585 | $66,651 | 6.3 yrs |
| College | Net price/yr | Earnings 10y | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump | -$839 | $30,796 | no payback |
| Roane State Community College | $4,270 | $39,407 | no payback |
| Dyersburg State Community College | $4,612 | $36,132 | no payback |
| Columbia State Community College | $4,734 | $40,256 | no payback |
| Southwest Tennessee Community College | $4,754 | $34,071 | no payback |
How many Tennessee colleges actually pay for themselves?
22 of 91 — 24% of the Tennessee institutions we profile clear their full net cost on institution-wide earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The rest need a high-paying major to pay off; the school average alone does not do it.
Do Tennessee graduates out-earn the national median?
Tennessee graduates report a median $39,544 ten years after entry, $4,005 below the $43,549 national median. Earnings track the local labour market and the mix of fields the state's colleges graduate, not the state border itself.