2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
Today's computer science students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Computer Science Degree Search has created its Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best value programs for computer science students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Nashville State Community College to be the best value school for computer science students in Tennessee. Nashville State Community College is located in Nashville, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 degrees to qualified students.
Nashville State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $17,188 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,851 in student loans. During the early years of their career, Nashville State Community College graduates make an average of $34,207 annually.
Nashville State Community College also took the #2 spot in our Best Computer Science Schools in Tennessee rankings.
The excellent programs at Volunteer State Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer science schools in Tennessee. VSCC is located in Gallatin, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at VSCC are $17,200 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,295 in student loans. During the early years of their career, VSCC graduates make an average of $35,641 annually.
VSCC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Computer Science Schools in Tennessee list.
The excellent programs at Chattanooga State Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer science schools in Tennessee. Chattanooga State Community College is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chattanooga State Community College are $16,934 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,563 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Chattanooga State Community College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $32,219 during the early year of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pellissippi State Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee list. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the medium-sized public school handed out 167 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pellissippi State Community College are $17,272 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $14,016 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Pellissippi State Community College graduates make an average of $31,307 annually.
Out of the 17 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeast State Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Blountville, Tennessee, and it awarded 51 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Northeast State Technical Community College are $17,238 a year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $10,950 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from Northeast State Technical Community College, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $38,005 during the early years of their career.
Tennessee Technological University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in Cookeville, Tennessee, the medium-sized public school awarded 100 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Tennessee Tech University are $19,834 a year. On average, students take out $19,943 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $103, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Tennessee Tech University graduates make an average of $40,563 annually.
East Tennessee State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer science programs. ETSU is a public institution located in Johnson City, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 85 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at ETSU are $12,740 a year. On average, students take out $23,047 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $212, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, ETSU graduates make an average of $38,858 annually.
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee ranking. UT Knoxville is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 117 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Knoxville are $31,664 per year. On average, students take out $22,232 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $325 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, UT Knoxville graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,189 during the early year of their career.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UT Knoxville is ranked #4 for overall quality in Tennessee.
Middle Tennessee State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the large public school awarded 132 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Middle Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $28,264 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $24,342 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $144 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Middle Tennessee State University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $38,675 during the early year of their career.
The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee ranking. UT Chattanooga is a public institution located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 69 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at UT Chattanooga are $25,966 a year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $25,246 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $162 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, UT Chattanooga graduates make an average of $46,162 annually.
Austin Peay State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and it awarded 164 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Austin Peay State University are $13,975 a year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $27,168 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $159. Once they receive their degree, Austin Peay State University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $36,908 during the early year of their career.
The University of Tennessee - Martin ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee list. Located in Martin, Tennessee, the medium-sized public school handed out 12 degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Martin undergraduate students pay an average of $15,952 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,559 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $149, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, UT Martin graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $35,647 during the early year of their career.
University of Memphis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students. It came in at #13 on the list. Memphis, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 162 students in 2020-2021.
UofM undergraduate students pay an average of $14,088 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $28,159 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $147. During the early years of their career, UofM graduates make an average of $41,884 annually.
Tennessee State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Schools in Tennessee list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 36 students in 2020-2021.
Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $21,692 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $30,529 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $203, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Tennessee State University graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $41,944 during the early year of their career.
Vanderbilt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 257 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Vanderbilt are $56,966 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,392 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $644, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Vanderbilt, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $66,962 during the early years of their career.
Vanderbilt did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Computer Science Schools in Tennessee list.
King University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer science programs. King University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Bristol, Tennessee that handed out 26 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at King are $32,838 a year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,018 in student loans.After graduating from King, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $40,581 during the early years of their career.
King also took the #3 spot in our Best Computer Science Schools in Tennessee rankings.
Rhodes College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value computer science programs. Rhodes College is located in Memphis, Tennessee and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rhodes College are $50,910 per year. After graduating from Rhodes College, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $32,356 during the early years of their career.
Best Value Computer Science Schools in the Southeast Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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