Tennessee State University
Nashville, Tennessee · Website
$42,730
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$42,730
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Tennessee State University is a public 4-year college in Nashville, Tennessee with 4,848 undergraduates and 1,253 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $15,796 a year (tuition and fees $8,616 in-state, $22,416 out-of-state). It admits 70% of applicants and 34% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $42,730 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $27,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$15,796
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$8,616
Out-of-state $22,416
Admission rate
70%
US median 78%
Completion rate
34%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$42,730
Rank 2,271 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $15,796
- Tuition in-state
- $8,616
- Tuition out-of-state
- $22,416
- Cost of attendance
- $25,637
- Students with a need-based grant
- 51%
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $15,005
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $15,840
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,579
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $20,624
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $20,099
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,112 in 2015-16 to $8,616 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 70%
- Average SAT
- 1,000
- Undergraduates
- 4,848
- Graduate students
- 1,253
- Part-time students
- 7.8%
- Women
- 65%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 34%
- Retention rate
- 34%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 84
- Endowment
- $115.3M
- Other
- Historically Black college
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,271 of 5,094 US colleges and 41 of 120 in Tennessee (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $15,796 | $15,261 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,616 | $15,120 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 70% | 70% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 34% | 60% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 34% | 74% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $15,784 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $34,160 | $34,684 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $42,730 | $38,610 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 31% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 57% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
84 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 115 | $27,968 | $40,077 | $57,083 | $68,257 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 110 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $71,685 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | $29,250 | $25,140 | $43,121 | $56,359 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $26,000 | $34,756 | $45,886 | $47,382 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $26,000 | $30,735 | $46,721 | $50,706 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $27,000 | $32,555 | $46,062 | $55,378 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $28,750 | $33,862 | $48,365 | $68,245 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Public AdministrationOnlineMaster's | Master's | 36 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $81,408 |
| Public AdministrationOnlineGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 36 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $78,022 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | $27,000 | $30,672 | $59,855 | $57,214 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 33 | $26,500 | $73,800 | $87,602 | $103,485 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 30 | $41,000 | $61,651 | $69,241 | $71,416 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $17,500 | $50,628 | $67,292 | $107,009 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | $28,000 | $24,722 | $45,568 | $54,562 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | $25,000 | $38,134 | $53,231 | $58,716 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | Withheld | $48,894 | $63,629 | $70,786 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $29,297 | $37,716 | $54,249 | $53,072 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | $16,215 | $44,192 | $56,729 | $61,982 |
| Curriculum and InstructionMaster's | Master's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,399 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 19 | $41,000 | $51,545 | $59,413 | $67,030 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $26,000 | $29,449 | $44,989 | $51,790 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $26,471 | $53,620 | $69,414 | $76,194 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $145,571 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Nashville and Tennessee on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Tennessee
- Homes: Homes for sale in Tennessee
Questions and answers
How much does Tennessee State University cost?
$15,796 a year is the average net price at Tennessee State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,616 for in-state students and $22,416 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $25,637. Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,005 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Tennessee State University?
70% of applicants are admitted to Tennessee State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,000. The median admission rate of colleges in Tennessee is 70%.
How much do Tennessee State University graduates earn?
$42,730 a year is the median pay of former Tennessee State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($34,160 after 6 years). That ranks 2,271 of 5,094 US colleges and 41 of 120 in Tennessee. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $96,748.
How much student debt do Tennessee State University graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Tennessee State University graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 46% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Tennessee State University?
34% of first-time, full-time students at Tennessee State University finish within 6 years. 34% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Tennessee State University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (115 bachelor's graduates), Educational Administration and Supervision (110 master's graduates), Communication and Media Studies (51 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 84 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.