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Tennessee · Cost after aid

Cheapest colleges in Tennessee after financial aid

Updated College Scorecard, 2024-25

The short answer

The cheapest four-year colleges in Tennessee after financial aid are The University of Tennessee Southern ($6,690 a year), Le Moyne-Owen College ($6,993 a year) and Austin Peay State University ($9,049 a year in-state), by the average price students with federal aid paid in 2024-25.

Sticker price isn't what most families pay. This list sorts by the average a student who got federal aid paid for a year after grants and scholarships. At public colleges it covers in-state students. Out-of-state students pay more, so those rows also show an out-of-state estimate: the in-state figure plus the extra tuition.

The list (19 of 39)

Four-year colleges in Tennessee with 500 or more undergraduates, lowest average price after grants first. The list shows 19 of the 39 colleges with a price on file. Prices: College Scorecard, 2024-25.

  1. The University of Tennessee Southern $6,690 a year Pulaski, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $6,773 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  2. Le Moyne-Owen College $6,993 a year Memphis, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $7,435 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  3. Austin Peay State University $9,049 a year in-state Clarksville, TN · Out of state: about $14,809 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $7,541 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  4. Baptist Health Sciences University $10,165 a year Memphis, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $10,409 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  5. The University of Tennessee-Martin $10,211 a year in-state Martin, TN · Out of state: about $16,251 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $7,582 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  6. Tennessee State University $12,154 a year in-state Nashville, TN · Out of state: about $25,954 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $11,076 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  7. University of Memphis $12,192 a year in-state Memphis, TN · Out of state: about $16,896 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $10,110 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  8. Middle Tennessee State University $12,562 a year in-state Murfreesboro, TN · Out of state: about $35,058 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $8,914 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  9. Lane College $12,660 a year Jackson, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $12,257 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  10. Bethel University $13,267 a year McKenzie, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $12,551 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  11. East Tennessee State University $14,208 a year in-state Johnson City, TN · Out of state: about $18,408 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $12,262 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  12. Tennessee Wesleyan University $14,965 a year Athens, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $12,454 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  13. The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga $15,026 a year in-state Chattanooga, TN · Out of state: about $23,332 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $10,407 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  14. Vanderbilt University $15,497 a year Nashville, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $3,637 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  15. Cumberland University $15,965 a year Lebanon, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $16,262 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  16. Tennessee Technological University $16,830 a year in-state Cookeville, TN · Out of state: about $21,030 · Families earning under $30,000 paid $13,100 in-state Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  17. Christian Brothers University $16,842 a year Memphis, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $16,427 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  18. South College $17,273 a year Knoxville, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $16,167 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
  19. Carson-Newman University $18,130 a year Jefferson City, TN · Families earning under $30,000 paid $16,616 Source: College Scorecard, 2024-25
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What are the cheapest colleges in Tennessee after financial aid?

The cheapest four-year colleges in Tennessee after financial aid are The University of Tennessee Southern ($6,690 a year), Le Moyne-Owen College ($6,993 a year) and Austin Peay State University ($9,049 a year in-state), by the average price students with federal aid paid in 2024-25.

Which are cheapest for families earning under $30,000?

Of the colleges listed, Vanderbilt ($3,637), The University of Tennessee Southern ($6,773) and Le Moyne-Owen College ($7,435) had the lowest average yearly price for students from families earning under $30,000, in 2024-25.

What does price after aid mean here?

It's what a student who got federal aid paid for a year of tuition, fees, housing, food and books after grants and scholarships, before loans. It comes from the College Scorecard, which the U.S. Department of Education publishes.

Numbers change each year when colleges and the Department of Education publish new data. Confirm costs and admission rules with the college before you apply.

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