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Best Value Education Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Education Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

21 Colleges
$19,285 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$44,170 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Education School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, education was ranked 2nd in Tennessee. In fact, 3,386 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Value Education Schools in Tennessee to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 21 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value 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 Education Schools

#1

Cumberland University

Lebanon, TN
$25,412 Average Tuition & Fees

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

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

Read full report on Education at Cumberland University

#2

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN
$23,210 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 21 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Adventist University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southern Adventist are $23,210 a year.

Read More…

#3

Carson - Newman University

Jefferson City, TN
$31,320 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Carson - Newman University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in Tennessee. Located in the suburb of Jefferson City, Carson - Newman is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Carson - Newman undergraduate students pay an average of $31,320 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#4

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, TN
$23,300 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Freed-Hardeman University is a great value for education students. Located in the distant town of Henderson, FHU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

FHU undergraduate students pay an average of $23,300 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$9,848 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Chattanooga are $9,848 per year.

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$9,912 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #6 on the list. UT Martin is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Martin.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Martin are $9,912 a year.

Read full report on Education at The University of Tennessee - Martin

$9,802 Average Tuition & Fees

Tennessee Technological University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for education students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tennessee Tech University are $9,802 a year.

Read full report on Education at Tennessee Technological University

#8

Union University

Jackson, TN
$16,520 Average Tuition & Fees

Union University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

Read full report on Education at Union University

$9,232 Average Tuition & Fees

Middle Tennessee State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Middle Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,232 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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$13,244 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Knoxville are $13,244 a year.

UT Knoxville not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Education Schools in Tennessee list.

Read full report on Education at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Best Value Education Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 2,371
Florida 5,192
Virginia 7,400
North Carolina 4,150
Georgia 6,283
West Virginia 924
Louisiana 1,732
South Carolina 2,297
Kentucky 3,387
Arkansas 3,395
Alabama 3,231

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
Special Education 25,158
General Education 21,189
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784
Student Counseling 13,840
Instructional Media Design 8,387
Teaching English or French 4,743
Other Education 2,513
Multilingual Education 1,672
Educational Assessment 1,215
Education Philosophy 421
International Education 257
Teaching Assistants 20

Related Major Annual Graduates
Psychology 42,013
Social Sciences 22,292
Communication & Journalism 12,242
Library Science 5,929
History 4,391

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 21 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 Horadrim.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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