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2023 Best Value Trade School Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
There are so many trade school programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Trade School Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Tennessee to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for trade school students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Trade Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Tennessee Technological University to be the best value school for trade school students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Tennessee. Located in Cookeville, Tennessee, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,970 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tennessee Tech University are $19,834 per year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,987 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Tennessee Tech University does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 78% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Tennessee Tech University did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Tennessee list.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is a great place for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the fairly large public school awarded 2,039 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
UT Chattanooga undergraduate students pay an average of $25,966 in tuition and fees each year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $21,129 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at UT Chattanooga. In fact, around 69% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
UT Chattanooga not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Tennessee list.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Austin Peay State University is a great place for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. This medium-sized public school is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and it awarded 1,568 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Austin Peay State University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,975 in tuition and fees each year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $22,984 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Austin Peay State University. In fact, around 59% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Memphis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the large public school awarded 3,132 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at UofM are $14,280 a year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,091 in student loans.
UofM does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 57% took at least some of their classes online.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Middle Tennessee State University is a great place for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the large public school awarded 3,709 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Middle Tennessee State University are $28,264 per year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $21,226 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Middle Tennessee State University. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 44% took at least some of their classes online.
East Tennessee State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. East Tennessee State University is a fairly large public school located in Johnson City, Tennessee that handed out 2,519 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ETSU are $12,740 per year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,906 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that ETSU does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 64% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Tennessee State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Tennessee State University is a public institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 795 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $21,692 in tuition and fees each year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $26,816 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Tennessee State University does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 48% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 5,533 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at UT Knoxville are $31,664 a year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $20,621 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that UT Knoxville does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 49% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Union University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree trade school programs. Union is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jackson, Tennessee. It awarded 540 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Union undergraduate students pay an average of $19,363 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,725 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Union. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 29% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Bethel University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in McKenzie, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 411 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
Bethel undergraduate students pay an average of $16,871 in tuition and fees each year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $28,676 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Bethel does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 59% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Trevecca Nazarene University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 419 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at TNU are $28,500 per year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,112 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at TNU. In fact, around 22% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, TNU is ranked #2 for overall quality in Tennessee.
Lee University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree trade school programs. Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 933 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Lee University are $21,730 a year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $25,797 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Lee University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 20% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #13, King University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Bristol, Tennessee, and it awarded 469 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at King are $33,784 per year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,442 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that King does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 70% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
King also made our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Tennessee list, coming in at #3.
With a ranking of #14, Southern Adventist University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Collegedale, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 385 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Southern Adventist are $23,870 a year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $25,204 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Southern Adventist does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 39% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Lincoln Memorial University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Harrogate, Tennessee, and it awarded 330 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at LMU are $25,180 a year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,729 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at LMU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 62% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Cumberland University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lebanon, Tennessee, and it awarded 279 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CU are $26,400 a year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,893 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at CU. During the 2020-2021 year, about 0% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Lipscomb University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Lipscomb University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 711 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lipscomb are $37,152 per year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $22,293 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Lipscomb does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 49% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Lipscomb also took the #5 spot in our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Tennessee rankings.
Daymar College - Clarksville came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in Clarksville, Tennessee, the very small private for-profit school handed out 8 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Daymar College - Clarksville are $20,110 a year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $30,255 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Daymar College - Clarksville does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 99% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Daymar College - Nashville landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree trade school programs.
Daymar College - Nashville undergraduate students pay an average of $22,225 in tuition and fees each year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $30,255 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Best Value Trade Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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