Higher Education Outcome Report · South

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Tennessee Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 69 degree-granting institutions graded

Tennessee's higher education system is a below-average mobility and lower earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $46,405, -10% vs the national median.

healthcare
automotive & logistics
music & entertainment

137
INSTITUTIONS: $46,405
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▼ -10% vs natl; $16,100
AVG NET PRICE: 46 / 45
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

C+

38/100 · #41 of 50

Tennessee At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

69

224,922 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~27,967

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
26th pct

$44,334

37th of 50 states
Mobility Score
22nd pct

1.3%

36th of 46 states
Talent Retention
34th pct

68%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
52nd pct

2.8x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Healthcare
Business
Humanities

Executive Summary

Tennessee graduates earn a median of $44,334 a decade after entry, 9% below the national state average, ranking 37th of 50 states.
Upward mobility sits mid-pack: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 1.3% rate, in the 22nd percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Healthcare and Business, which together account for 40% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Sciences is the standout sector: graduates earn $54,957, +6.6% versus the national median. That premium points to a real wage advantage rather than sheer volume.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 18% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Tennessee returns 2.8x earnings per dollar of net price, roughly average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-8.4%

Median graduate earnings in Tennessee are below the national average by 8%.
Cost vs National

-12.1%

Net price in Tennessee is lower than the national average by 12%.
Mobility Rate

-0.39pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.4 percentage points below the national average.
Completion Rate

+0.8pp

Tennessee's graduation rate is 0.8 percentage points above the national average.
Best Value

9.2x

Top value school: Roane State Community College ($39,407 earnings vs $4,270 net price).
Low-Income Access

11%

11% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Healthcare (21% of graduates) and Business (19% of graduates) dominate Tennessee's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $48,175.

Healthcare

21%

$48,175 avg
Business

19%

$45,785 avg
Humanities

18%

$40,639 avg
Social Sciences

9%

$55,380 avg
Arts & Design

6%

$44,733 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 14

Outcome Performance

Tennessee's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Precision Production), where graduates average $35,612 against a net cost of $6,624, a 5.4x return. That's -31% vs the national median. At the other end, Psychology produces $51,230 at a 2.6x return, less than half what the top cluster delivers.

Precision Production
5.4x

$35,612 earnings $6,624 net -31% vs natl
Legal Studies
3.8x

$46,480 earnings $12,304 net -9.9% vs natl
Criminal Justice
3.3x

$43,716 earnings $13,067 net -15.2% vs natl
Construction Trades
3.3x

$42,265 earnings $12,662 net -18.1% vs natl
Culinary & Personal Services
3.3x

$41,539 earnings $12,753 net -19.5% vs natl
Health Professions
3.0x

$46,827 earnings $15,397 net -9.2% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Tennessee's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Health Professions 21%
Business & Marketing 19%
Humanities 17%
Visual & Performing Arts 6%
Psychology 5%

Highest-Earning Fields

Social Sciences $60,874
Engineering $55,938
Biology & Biomedical $53,863
Psychology $50,636
Health Professions $48,175

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Tennessee's graduate supply.

Social Sciences $60,874 4% of grads
Engineering $55,938 4% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $53,863 4% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Tennessee's colleges post an average mobility rate of 1.3%, which puts the state in the 22nd percentile nationally. 10% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households, a larger share than most states enroll. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.35, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

1.3%

▼ -0.38pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

10%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

16%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

39%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

68%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.35

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Tennessee's Sciences programs produce graduates earning $54,957, +6.6% relative to the national median. Humanities graduates, however, earn 18% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Healthcare
21% of enrollment

$46,355 -10.1% vs natl

43 schools
Business
19% of enrollment

$46,280 -10.3% vs natl

46 schools
Humanities
18% of enrollment

$42,277 -18% vs natl

25 schools
Social Sciences
9% of enrollment

$51,789 +0.4% vs natl

24 schools
Arts & Design
6% of enrollment

$48,725 -5.5% vs natl

12 schools
Sciences
5% of enrollment

$54,957 +6.6% vs natl

18 schools

Overperforming Sectors

Sciences: +6.6% vs national earnings ($54,957)

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -18% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Business: -10.3% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -10.1% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Tennessee's higher education system includes 4 research-oriented, 16 specialized, 5 access-oriented, 44 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

4

Research Universities
44

Regional Universities
5

Access-Oriented Institutions
16

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

47% of Tennessee's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $42,416 at 10 years.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

28

47% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,416
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

24

40% of schools
Avg earnings: $48,525
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

8

13% of schools
Avg earnings: $53,318

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Tennessee

Tennessee is home to 137 colleges and universities, from 46 public institutions to 45 private nonprofits. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $40,141 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Computer Science & IT. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Tennessee

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $15,883 a year across Tennessee. Vanderbilt University stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Tennessee's economy leans on healthcare, automotive & logistics and music & entertainment, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Computer Science & IT feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Tennessee level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Tennessee earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$40,141

▼ $-3,696 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$15,883

▲ $-2,193 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.5x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

HBCUs in Tennessee

Is Tennessee Right for You?

Tennessee is a strong fit if you want to build a career in healthcare and automotive & logistics, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Vanderbilt University · TN Baptist Health Sciences University · TN Rhodes College · TN The University of Tennessee Health Science Center · TN The University of the South · TN Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting · TN

FAQ

How many colleges are in Tennessee?

There are 137 colleges and universities in Tennessee in our dataset — 46 public, 45 private nonprofit, including 6 HBCUs.

What is the highest-earning college in Tennessee?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Vanderbilt University leads, followed by schools like Baptist Health Sciences University and Rhodes College.

How much does college cost in Tennessee?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $15,883 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Tennessee?

Tennessee's economy is anchored by healthcare, automotive & logistics and music & entertainment, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Tennessee?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Vanderbilt University, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 137 schools in Tennessee

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

137 institutions in Tennessee

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

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