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Best Value Social Work Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

9 Colleges
$12,035 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,784 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Social Work School for You

In 2020-2021, social work students earned 662 degrees and certificates from a Tennessee school, making the subject the 5th in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Value Social Work Schools in Tennessee ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in Tennessee to see which programs offered the best value experiences for social work 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 Social Work Schools in Tennessee

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for social work majors pursuing a .

Best Tennessee Schools for Affordable Quality in Social Work

$9,848 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga to be the best value school for social work students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Located in the midsize city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Chattanooga are $9,848 a year.

Full Social Work at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report

#2

Union University

Jackson, TN
$16,520 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Union University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Jackson, Union is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Union undergraduate students pay an average of $16,520 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Social Work at Union University

$9,232 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Middle Tennessee State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Middle Tennessee State University are $9,232 per year.

Full Social Work at Middle Tennessee State University Report

#4

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN
$23,210 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Adventist University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Social Work Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Southern Adventist undergraduate students pay an average of $23,210 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Social Work at Southern Adventist University Report

$13,244 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best social work schools in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

UT Knoxville did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Social Work Schools in Tennessee list.

Full Social Work at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Report

$9,438 Average Tuition & Fees

East Tennessee State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #6 on the list. ETSU is a large public school located in the small city of Johnson City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ETSU are $9,438 per year.

Read More…

#7

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Memphis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Tennessee ranking. UofM is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Memphis.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UofM are $10,056 a year.

Read More…

#8

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN
$8,336 Average Tuition & Fees

Tennessee State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for social work students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Nashville, Tennessee State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,336 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Social Work at Tennessee State University

#9

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN
$8,431 Average Tuition & Fees

Austin Peay State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Work Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Austin Peay State University undergraduate students pay an average of $8,431 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

Best Value Social Work Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Virginia 374
Florida 730
Georgia 437
North Carolina 845
Kentucky 859
Louisiana 591
Alabama 630
South Carolina 218
Mississippi 139
Arkansas 130
West Virginia 143

One of 5 majors within the area of study, social work has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Social Work

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 13,571
Public Policy 3,737
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 9 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 Army Medicine.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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