Public · Pulaski, Tennessee

The University of Tennessee Southern

The University of Tennessee Southern is a public institution in Pulaski, Tennessee. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.

$12,798
Avg net price / yr
$38,924
10-yr median earnings
36.3%
150%-time completion
86.7%
Acceptance rate

The verdict

The University of Tennessee Southern pairs modest former-student earnings with open admission.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

44th pct.
former-student earnings, US
86.7%
acceptance rate
36.3%
150%-time completion
+8%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant Carnegie: Bacc: Diverse
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Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this The University of Tennessee Southern profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

D
College Value Score
44/100
The University of Tennessee Southern

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings D
$38,924
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B-
$12,798
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
36.3%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$21,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C
62.1%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C-
77.2%
First-year students returning for year two
The University of Tennessee Southern vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$38,924

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$12,798

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

36.3%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 36.3%

Four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - The University of Tennessee Southern vs peers

The University of Tennessee Southern positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. The University of Tennessee Southern positio… Carnegie Classification: Bacc: Diverse Bacc: Dive… COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $31K $43K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $6K $21K Avg Net Price ($) The University of Tennessee Southern (you are here): $39K earn · $13K net · 36% grad You are here - The University of … Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville: $37K earn · $20K net · 71% grad Tennessee College … Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville: $39K earn · $16K net · 70% grad Tennessee College … Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest: $39K earn · $10K net · 67% grad Tennessee College … Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson: $37K earn · $15K net · 76% grad Tennessee College … Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro: $41K earn · $7K net · 75% grad Tennessee College … Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown: $39K earn · $16K net · 78% grad Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski: $40K earn · $15K net · 72% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How The University of Tennessee Southern ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

The University of Tennessee Southern: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$38,924 44th percentile higher than 44% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). This entry sits in this band. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). Above this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric The University of Tennessee Southern National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $38,924 #2867 of 5103 44th
Average net price $12,798 #1679 of 5020 67th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 36.3% #3876 of 4858 20th
Undergraduate enrollment 864 #2319 of 5462 58th

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

864
Undergraduate enrollment
86.7%
Acceptance rate
1,083
SAT average
36.3%
150%-time completion
$38,924
10-yr median earnings
77.2%
First-year retention

How The University of Tennessee Southern ranks in Tennessee

State rank among 120 reporting Tennessee colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric The University of Tennessee Southern State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $38,924 #58 of 120 52nd
Average net price $12,798 #52 of 124 58th (lower is better)
150%-time completion 36.3% #95 of 117 19th
Undergraduate enrollment 864 #49 of 130 62nd

Highest former-student earnings in Tennessee

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Vanderbilt University$91,565$15,846
2Baptist Health Sciences University$72,529$11,212
3Rhodes College$66,651$28,585
4The University of Tennessee Health Science Center$66,318-
5Jersey College - Cleveland$66,087-
6Jersey College - Knoxville$66,087-
7The University of the South$64,911$27,872
8Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting$62,978-
9Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus$61,480$27,267
10The University of Tennessee-Knoxville$60,249$18,976
11King University$59,831$22,347
12Cumberland University$57,687$18,759
58The University of Tennessee SouthernThis school$38,924$12,798

Admissions

Admission Rate 86.7%
SAT Average 1,083
SAT Math (25th-75th) 470 – 555
SAT Reading (25th-75th) 435 – 555
ACT Average 21
ACT (25th-75th) 18 – 24
0%100%86.7%
Share of applicants admitted

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at The University of Tennessee Southern

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at The University of Tennessee Southern - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $10,924
Out-of-State Tuition $10,924
Average Net Price $12,798
36.3%
Pell Grant Rate
26.9%
Federal Loan Rate
$21,500
Median Debt
$228/mo
Monthly Payment

Net price at The University of Tennessee Southern swings rather than trends

Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $15,133 to $21,773 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -0.9%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.

Lowest year
$15,133
Highest year
$21,773
Most recent (2023)
$15,133
Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $15,2762014: $18,6352015: $17,9402016: $21,7732017: $19,3202018: $18,7232019: $18,8592020: $19,5092021: $19,6132022: $15,7252023: $15,133
2013 · $15,2762023 · $15,133

Over the same years, enrollment went -27.7% (1,144 → 827 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

63.2%
Female
41.0%
First Generation

Outcomes

77.2%
Retention Rate
$36,151
Median Earnings (6yr)
53.6%
Earning Over $25K
62.1%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 36.3%
First-year retention First-time, full-time freshmen 77.2%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $36,151
Median earnings 10 years after entry $38,924
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 53.6%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 62.1%
Median federal student debt At completion $21,500
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $228/mo

Programs & Earnings

Top programs at The University of Tennessee Southern by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations Bachelor's 42 $59,648 $26,000
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Bachelor's 7 $45,980 $23,425
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Bachelor's 11 $39,192 $22,850
Psychology, General Bachelor's - $38,072 $18,825
Criminal Justice and Corrections Bachelor's 6 - -

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at The University of Tennessee Southern?
The University of Tennessee Southern is a public institution in Pulaski, Tennessee. The acceptance rate is 86.7%. The average SAT score is 1,083. Undergraduate enrollment is 864 students.
How much do The University of Tennessee Southern former students earn?
Federally aided former students at The University of Tennessee Southern who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $38,924 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $36,151.
How much does The University of Tennessee Southern cost?
The average net price at The University of Tennessee Southern is $12,798. In-state tuition is $10,924 and out-of-state tuition is $10,924. Median student debt at graduation is $21,500.
What is the graduation rate at The University of Tennessee Southern?
The University of Tennessee Southern has a 36.3% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 77.2%.
Is The University of Tennessee Southern worth the student debt?
The median student debt at The University of Tennessee Southern is $21,500, while former students earn a median of $38,924 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 55% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 62.1% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $228.

Sources & methodology

Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.

Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from The University of Tennessee Southern

Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.