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Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

10 Colleges
$23,029 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$45,179 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Education School for You

With 309 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, general education is the #13 most popular major in Tennessee.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in Tennessee to see which programs offered the best value experiences for education students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee

Check out the education programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best General Education Schools

#1

Cumberland University

Lebanon, TN
$25,412 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Cumberland University to be the best value school for general education students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Located in the fringe town of Lebanon, CU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CU are $25,412 per year.

Read More…

#2

Tusculum University

Greeneville, TN
$26,510 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Tusculum University is a great value for general education students. Located in the town of Greeneville, Tusculum is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Tusculum undergraduate students pay an average of $26,510 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full General Education at Tusculum University Report

$13,244 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best general education schools in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public college with a very large student population.

UT Knoxville undergraduate students pay an average of $13,244 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UT Knoxville also took the #5 spot in our Best General Education Schools in Tennessee rankings.

Full General Education at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Report

#4

Union University

Jackson, TN
$16,520 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 10 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Union University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Union are $16,520 per year.

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#5

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 10 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Memphis landed the # 5 spot on the list. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Memphis.

UofM undergraduate students pay an average of $10,056 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on General Education at University of Memphis

$34,820 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Christian Brothers University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general education students. Located in the city of Memphis, Christian Brothers is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Christian Brothers are $34,820 a year.

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#7

Milligan University

Milligan College, TN
$36,140 Average Tuition & Fees

Milligan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Milligan College, Milligan is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Milligan are $36,140 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Milligan also is in the top 20% of our Best General Education Schools in Tennessee ranking.

Full General Education at Milligan University Report

#8

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN
$8,431 Average Tuition & Fees

Austin Peay State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the midsize city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Austin Peay State University are $8,431 per year.

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#9

Bethel University

McKenzie, TN
$13,981 Average Tuition & Fees

Bethel University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general education programs. Located in the town of McKenzie, Bethel is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bethel are $13,981 a year.

Full General Education at Bethel University Report

#10

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN
$56,966 Average Tuition & Fees

Vanderbilt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general education students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Vanderbilt are $56,966 a year.

Vanderbilt did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best General Education Schools in Tennessee list.

Full General Education at Vanderbilt University Report

Best Value General Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value General Education Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Virginia 864
Florida 407
Georgia 106
North Carolina 144
Kentucky 87
Louisiana 77
Alabama 115
South Carolina 286
Mississippi 276
Arkansas 51
West Virginia 230

General Education is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Education

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
Special Education 25,158
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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