Best colleges for business in Tennessee

    The University of Tennessee-Knoxville ranks first in Tennessee for business value (#44 nationally, value score 80.5): graduates earn $82,074 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $18,314 a year.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 27 Tennessee colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026

    See the rankingNational ranking

    Ask AI:ChatGPTClaude

    Best business colleges in Tennessee

    The University of Tennessee-Knoxville ranks first in Tennessee for business value (#44 nationally, value score 80.5): graduates earn $82,074 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $18,314 a year. 27 Tennessee colleges qualify. At the median one, business graduates earn $60,973 and the average net price is $18,130 a year.

    Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025

    What the data shows

    Key findings

    • 27 Tennessee colleges qualify. At the median one, business graduates earn $60,973 and the average net price is $18,130 a year.
    • The lowest average net price among them is at The University of Tennessee Southern: $6,690 a year.
    Median earnings
    $60,973
    National: $64,860
    Median net price
    $18,130
    National: $19,132
    Median federal debt
    $20,836
    business graduates
    Public colleges
    9 of 27
    in this list

    27 colleges

    The Tennessee ranking

    Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    1. Rank in Tennessee 1

      The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

      Knoxville, TN · Public · #44 nationally

      80.5Value
      Earnings
      $82,074
      Net price
      $18,314
      Federal debt
      $17,000
      Graduation rate
      74%
    2. Rank in Tennessee 2

      Lipscomb University

      Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · #121 nationally

      71.8Value
      Earnings
      $80,751
      Net price
      $23,178
      Federal debt
      $19,500
      Graduation rate
      71%
    3. Rank in Tennessee 3

      Rhodes College

      Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit · #198 nationally

      66.1Value
      Earnings
      $77,838
      Net price
      $28,776
      Federal debt
      $20,500
      Graduation rate
      81%
    4. Rank in Tennessee 4

      Middle Tennessee State University

      Murfreesboro, TN · Public · #264 nationally

      62.2Value
      Earnings
      $63,928
      Net price
      $12,562
      Federal debt
      $15,198
      Graduation rate
      54%
    5. Rank in Tennessee 5

      The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

      Chattanooga, TN · Public · #282 nationally

      61.2Value
      Earnings
      $66,554
      Net price
      $15,026
      Federal debt
      $19,062
      Graduation rate
      56%
    6. Rank in Tennessee 6

      University of Memphis

      Memphis, TN · Public · #312 nationally

      59.4Value
      Earnings
      $65,045
      Net price
      $12,192
      Federal debt
      $19,750
      Graduation rate
      53%
    7. Rank in Tennessee 7

      Tennessee Technological University

      Cookeville, TN · Public · #401 nationally

      55.1Value
      Earnings
      $60,642
      Net price
      $16,830
      Federal debt
      $11,875
      Graduation rate
      56%
    8. Rank in Tennessee 8

      The University of Tennessee Southern

      Pulaski, TN · Private nonprofit · #471 nationally

      50.8Value
      Earnings
      $59,648
      Net price
      $6,690
      Federal debt
      $16,610
      Graduation rate
      32%
    9. Rank in Tennessee 9

      Carson-Newman University

      Jefferson City, TN · Private nonprofit · #482 nationally

      50.0Value
      Earnings
      $64,503
      Net price
      $18,130
      Federal debt
      $20,836
      Graduation rate
      54%
    10. Rank in Tennessee 10

      Tennessee Wesleyan University

      Athens, TN · Private nonprofit · #531 nationally

      47.7Value
      Earnings
      $61,103
      Net price
      $14,965
      Federal debt
      $18,750
      Graduation rate
      49%
    11. Rank in Tennessee 11

      Trevecca Nazarene University

      Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · #577 nationally

      45.3Value
      Earnings
      $62,197
      Net price
      $19,828
      Federal debt
      $18,750
      Graduation rate
      51%
    12. Rank in Tennessee 12

      Bryan College-Dayton

      Dayton, TN · Private nonprofit · #581 nationally

      44.9Value
      Earnings
      $64,283
      Net price
      $23,601
      Federal debt
      $19,748
      Graduation rate
      53%
    13. Rank in Tennessee 13

      Cumberland University

      Lebanon, TN · Private nonprofit · #583 nationally

      44.8Value
      Earnings
      $60,477
      Net price
      $15,965
      Federal debt
      $18,500
      Graduation rate
      45%
    14. Rank in Tennessee 14

      East Tennessee State University

      Johnson City, TN · Public · #615 nationally

      43.3Value
      Earnings
      $55,719
      Net price
      $14,208
      Federal debt
      $17,751
      Graduation rate
      55%
    15. Rank in Tennessee 15

      Union University-Tennessee

      Jackson, TN · Private nonprofit · #640 nationally

      41.5Value
      Earnings
      $63,234
      Net price
      $22,995
      Federal debt
      $26,166
      Graduation rate
      75%
    16. Rank in Tennessee 16

      Belmont University

      Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · #675 nationally

      39.5Value
      Earnings
      $62,666
      Net price
      $32,648
      Federal debt
      $20,875
      Graduation rate
      71%
    17. Rank in Tennessee 17

      Maryville College

      Maryville, TN · Private nonprofit · #695 nationally

      38.8Value
      Earnings
      $63,053
      Net price
      $20,677
      Federal debt
      $23,125
      Graduation rate
      48%
    18. Rank in Tennessee 18

      The University of Tennessee-Martin

      Martin, TN · Public · #701 nationally

      38.7Value
      Earnings
      $54,552
      Net price
      $10,211
      Federal debt
      $21,709
      Graduation rate
      51%
    19. Rank in Tennessee 19

      Milligan College

      Milligan, TN · Private nonprofit · #733 nationally

      36.9Value
      Earnings
      $59,605
      Net price
      $20,000
      Federal debt
      $24,255
      Graduation rate
      62%
    20. Rank in Tennessee 20

      Lee University-Tennessee

      Cleveland, TN · Private nonprofit · #736 nationally

      36.7Value
      Earnings
      $59,274
      Net price
      $21,034
      Federal debt
      $23,250
      Graduation rate
      62%
    21. Rank in Tennessee 21

      Austin Peay State University

      Clarksville, TN · Public · #770 nationally

      34.5Value
      Earnings
      $55,567
      Net price
      $9,049
      Federal debt
      $25,000
      Graduation rate
      42%
    22. Rank in Tennessee 22

      Tennessee State University

      Nashville, TN · Public · #773 nationally

      34.2Value
      Earnings
      $57,083
      Net price
      $12,154
      Federal debt
      $23,250
      Graduation rate
      34%
    23. Rank in Tennessee 23

      Tusculum University

      Greeneville, TN · Private nonprofit · #787 nationally

      33.7Value
      Earnings
      $60,973
      Net price
      $20,508
      Federal debt
      $21,875
      Graduation rate
      39%
    24. Rank in Tennessee 24

      Bethel University-Tennessee

      McKenzie, TN · Private nonprofit · #802 nationally

      32.8Value
      Earnings
      $60,102
      Net price
      $13,267
      Federal debt
      $37,565
      Graduation rate
      29%
    25. Rank in Tennessee 25

      Christian Brothers University

      Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit · #848 nationally

      29.7Value
      Earnings
      $54,090
      Net price
      $16,842
      Federal debt
      $25,901
      Graduation rate
      55%
    26. Rank in Tennessee 26

      King University-Tennessee

      Bristol, TN · Private nonprofit · #916 nationally

      24.1Value
      Earnings
      $59,591
      Net price
      $22,416
      Federal debt
      $35,500
      Graduation rate
      44%
    27. Rank in Tennessee 27

      Southern Adventist University

      Collegedale, TN · Private nonprofit · #963 nationally

      16.8Value
      Earnings
      $48,307
      Net price
      $25,979
      Federal debt
      $22,337
      Graduation rate
      56%

    Method: the same value score as the national business ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.

    Questions about business colleges in Tennessee

    What are the best colleges for business in Tennessee?

    By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Tennessee colleges for business are The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (value score 80.5), Lipscomb University (value score 71.8) and Rhodes College (value score 66.1). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.

    Which Tennessee college has the highest earnings for business graduates?

    The University of Tennessee-Knoxville: its business graduates have median earnings of $82,074 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    What is the most affordable business college in Tennessee on this list?

    The University of Tennessee Southern has the lowest average net price of the ranked Tennessee colleges, $6,690 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.

    How many Tennessee colleges are ranked for business?

    27 Tennessee colleges have a business bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Tennessee.