Best Earnings After Graduation in Tennessee
25 schools ranked by median earnings 10 years after enrollment from College Scorecard. Updated from the latest federal filings.
Includes two-year, technical and community colleges alongside four-year universities — the typeis shown under each name. Schools appear only where the underlying figures exist: a real undergraduate population and a published graduation rate. Satellite campuses that repeat a parent institution's numbers are collapsed into one entry.
| # | School | Net Price | Grad Rate | Earnings 10yr | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University Nashville · private | $15,846 | 93.4% | $91,565 | 5.9% |
| 2 | Baptist Health Sciences University Memphis · private | $11,212 | 56.2% | $72,529 | 82.0% |
| 3 | Rhodes College Memphis · private | $28,585 | 82.8% | $66,651 | 50.3% |
| 4 | The University of the South Sewanee · private | $27,872 | 81.3% | $64,911 | 56.9% |
| 5 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville · public | $18,976 | 71.2% | $60,249 | 41.6% |
| 6 | King University Bristol · private | $22,347 | 66.1% | $59,831 | 99.7% |
| 7 | Cumberland University Lebanon · private | $18,759 | 58.6% | $57,687 | 67.3% |
| 8 | Christian Brothers University Memphis · private | $9,854 | 59.2% | $57,478 | 86.7% |
| 9 | Belmont University Nashville · private | $33,147 | 71.4% | $55,930 | 95.3% |
| 10 | Lipscomb University Nashville · private | $24,739 | 67.7% | $55,541 | 67.7% |
| 11 | Bryan College-Dayton Dayton · private | $20,614 | 54.9% | $54,434 | — |
| 12 | Union University Jackson · private | $27,171 | 64.0% | $53,990 | 60.4% |
| 13 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale · private | $24,345 | 60.9% | $53,723 | 65.5% |
| 14 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga · public | $14,265 | 55.8% | $51,151 | 81.1% |
| 15 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate · private | $20,406 | 62.0% | $49,956 | 62.6% |
| 16 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville · private | $16,813 | 56.7% | $49,378 | 69.4% |
| 17 | Maryville College Maryville · private | $19,360 | 56.7% | $49,279 | 60.9% |
| 18 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro · public | $13,359 | 56.0% | $48,541 | 69.1% |
| 19 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville · public | $14,246 | 65.0% | $48,501 | 76.1% |
| 20 | University of Memphis Memphis · public | $12,397 | 53.2% | $48,458 | 72.0% |
| 21 | Carson-Newman University Jefferson City · private | $20,251 | 57.0% | $48,382 | 90.5% |
| 22 | Freed-Hardeman University Henderson · private | $21,574 | 63.8% | $47,485 | 59.7% |
| 23 | Bethel University McKenzie · private | $12,595 | 34.6% | $47,482 | 60.2% |
| 24 | John A Gupton College Nashville · private | $19,334 | 72.1% | $46,902 | 100.0% |
| 25 | Milligan University Milligan · private | $21,365 | 64.8% | $46,641 | 72.3% |
Compare any two: Vanderbilt University vs Baptist Health Sciences University →
Go deeper on any school
Personalized match scores, the 2026 loan-earnings test, real net price by your income, and 20+ data points per school.
Get Full Access — $249/studentBest Earnings After Graduation in Other States
More Tennessee College Rankings
Data from U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS, College Scorecard, Clery Act). Updated annually. Rankings reflect the data as reported — not editorial opinion.