Tennessee State University Rankings & Recognition

Tennessee State University appears in 9 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #249 of 680 for biology, and #4 of 14 ranked colleges in Tennessee.

Tennessee State University rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Biology

Ranked #249 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 45 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $59,855; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $19,276; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 58.1 of 100 · #4 of 14 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 60th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 82th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 66th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 3th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 34% · debt is 32% of earnings

Ranked just above: Middle Tennessee State University (#248)
Ranked just below: New Mexico State University (#250)

Best colleges for biology

Political science

Ranked #311 of 388 for value

Political Science and Government · 20 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $54,008; Ranked-college median: $63,181

Value score 34.4 of 100 · #6 of 11 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 16th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 84th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 1th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $18,238) · graduation rate 34%

Ranked just above: Saint Edward's University (#310)
Ranked just below: Sam Houston State University (#312)

Best colleges for political science

Education

Ranked #343 of 521 for value

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · 35 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $45,886; Ranked-college median: $48,822
Median debt: $22,000; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 41.7 of 100 · #8 of 11 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 31th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 81th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 41th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 6th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 34% · debt is 48% of earnings

Ranked just above: Gordon College (#342)
Ranked just below: Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (#344)

Best colleges for education

Communications

Ranked #348 of 388 for value

Communication and Media Studies · 34 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $43,121; Ranked-college median: $56,130
Median debt: $21,875; Ranked-college median: $19,593

Value score 25.2 of 100 · #7 of 7 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 7th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 80th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 10th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 2th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 34% · debt is 51% of earnings

Ranked just above: Southeastern University (#347)
Ranked just below: University of North Carolina at Asheville (#349)

Best colleges for communications

Criminal justice

Ranked #350 of 379 for value

Criminal Justice and Corrections · 40 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $46,062; Ranked-college median: $55,481
Median debt: $25,000; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 24.3 of 100 · #9 of 9 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 7th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 75th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 7th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 10th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $16,222) · graduation rate 34% · debt is 54% of earnings

Ranked just above: Virginia State University (#349)
Ranked just below: Kent State University at Kent (#351)

Best colleges for criminal justice

Kinesiology and exercise science

Ranked #393 of 459 for value

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · 23 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $45,568; Ranked-college median: $53,707
Median debt: $26,000; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 27.6 of 100 · #14 of 18 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 12th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 84th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 6th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 5th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $18,314) · graduation rate 34% · debt is 57% of earnings

Ranked just above: Ripon College (#392)
Ranked just below: University of Mobile (#394)

Best colleges for kinesiology and exercise science

Computer science

Ranked #440 of 466 for value

Computer Science · 23 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $67,292; Ranked-college median: $97,375
Median debt: $25,125; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 22.3 of 100 · #10 of 10 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 5th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 78th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 3th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 3th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $16,804) · graduation rate 34% · debt is 37% of earnings

Ranked just above: North Central College-Illinois (#439)
Ranked just below: Middle Georgia State University (#441)

Best colleges for computer science

Psychology

Ranked #654 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 48 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $46,721; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $27,000; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 33.8 of 100 · #13 of 20 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 27th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 83th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 6th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 6th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 34% · debt is 58% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Louisiana at Lafayette (#653)
Ranked just below: Stephen F Austin State University (#655)

Best colleges for psychology

Business

Ranked #773 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 111 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $57,083; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $23,250; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 34.2 of 100 · #22 of 27 in Tennessee

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 21th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 82th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 19th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 9th percentile

Average net price $12,154 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 34% · debt is 41% of earnings