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Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

28 Colleges
$17,252 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$64,238 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best value bachelor's degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

Our analysis found University of Memphis to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Tennessee. UofM is a very 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. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UofM carry an average student debtload of $27,057. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $115.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UofM is ranked #3 for overall quality for nursing in Tennessee.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public school with a fairly large student population.

UT Chattanooga undergraduate students pay an average of $9,848 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at UT Chattanooga take out an average of $24,775 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Tennessee Technological University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the remote town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Tennessee Tech University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,802 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Tennessee Tech University carry an average student debtload of $19,572.

Full Nursing at Tennessee Technological University Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a great value for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Knoxville are $13,244 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UT Knoxville take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,875.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UT Knoxville is ranked #1 for overall quality for nursing in Tennessee.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Middle Tennessee State University is a great value for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Middle Tennessee State University are $9,232 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Middle Tennessee State University carry an average student debtload of $27,273. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $121.

Full Nursing at Middle Tennessee State University Report

The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. UTHSC is a small public school located in the large city of Memphis.

UTHSC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from UTHSC carry an average student debtload of $28,763.

Read full report on Nursing at The University of Tennessee - Health Science Center

East Tennessee State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree nursing programs. ETSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Johnson City.

ETSU undergraduate students pay an average of $9,438 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at ETSU take out an average of $26,540 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $176.

Read full report on Nursing at East Tennessee State University

The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. UT Martin is a moderately-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. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at UT Martin accumulate an average of around $28,867 in student debt.

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

#9

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN

Austin Peay State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Austin Peay State University are $8,431 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Austin Peay State University carry an average student debtload of $30,081.

Read More…

#10

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN

Tennessee State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the city of Nashville, Tennessee State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tennessee State University are $8,336 a year. Nursing majors at Tennessee State University take out an average of $31,662 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Tennessee State University

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
North Carolina 7,425
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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 Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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