Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Tennessee
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Tennessee college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Tennessee scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,600 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Tennessee's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship
A lottery scholarship for Tennessee residents who graduate from a Tennessee high school with a 3.0 GPA or a 21 ACT. At a four-year college it pays up to $2,250 a semester in the first two years.
Source: Tennessee Higher Education Commission (College for TN)
“Entering freshmen must achieve a minimum: 21 ACT or a minimum of 1060 SAT, exclusive of the essay and optional subject area battery tests ( concordant equivalent score ) OR Overall minimum 3.0 grade point average based on a 4.0 scale”
“Be a Tennessee resident as classified by the Tennessee Board of Regents; • Graduate from an eligible high school in Tennessee;”
“Four-Year Institutions and two-year institutions with on-campus housing: Up to $2,250 per full-time enrollment semester as a freshman and sophomore”
Tennessee Aspire Award
A need-based supplement to HOPE for students whose family adjusted gross income is $36,000 or less. At a four-year college it pays up to $750 a semester on top of HOPE.
Source: Tennessee Higher Education Commission (College for TN)
“Meet Tennessee HOPE Scholarship requirements AND must have parents’ or independent student’s and spouse’s adjusted gross income of $36,000 or less”
“Four-Year Institutions: Up to $750 per semester as a supplement to the HOPE Scholarship”
General Assembly Merit Scholarship
A merit supplement to HOPE for students with a 3.75 GPA and a 29 ACT or 1330 SAT. It pays up to $500 a semester on top of HOPE.
Source: Tennessee Higher Education Commission (College for TN)
“must have a minimum 3.75 GPA* AND 29 ACT or a minimum 1330 SAT”
“Award Amount – Up to $500 per semester as a supplement to the HOPE Scholarship”
Tennessee Student Assistance Award
A need-based grant for Tennessee residents with a Student Aid Index of 5000 or less. The most it pays in a year is $4,000 at a private college, and less at a public one.
Source: Tennessee Higher Education Commission (College for TN)
“The Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) provides non-repayable financial assistance to financially-needy undergraduate students who are residents of Tennessee.”
“Maximum award amounts for an academic year are: Four-year/two-year private postsecondary institutions $4,000”
“have a valid Student Aid Index (SAI) of 5000 or less”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont University private | None published | — | $65,405 |
| Bethel University private | None published | — | $43,779 |
| Carson-Newman University private | None published | — | $58,968 |
| East Tennessee State University public | None published | — | $24,992 |
| Lee University private | None published | — | $40,064 |
| Lincoln Memorial University private | None published | — | $44,072 |
| Lipscomb University private |
| — | $64,290 |
| Maryville College private |
| — | $60,159 |
| Middle Tennessee State University public |
| — | $26,929 |
| Rhodes College private | None published | — | $80,554 |
| Sewanee private | None published | — | $81,338 |
| Tennessee Tech public |
| — | $29,010 |
| Trevecca Nazarene University private | None published | — | $50,230 |
| Union University private |
| — | $59,707 |
| University of Memphis public |
| — | $25,566 |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga public | None published | UT Promise: tuition and mandatory fees covered, after other aid, for Tennessee residents with a family income of $75,000 or less, for the fall 2027 class | $27,028 |
| University of Tennessee at Martin public |
| UT Promise: tuition and mandatory fees covered, after other aid, for Tennessee residents with a family income of $75,000 or less, for the fall 2027 class | $21,427 |
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville public |
| UT Promise: tuition and mandatory fees covered, after other aid, for Tennessee residents with a family income of $75,000 or less, for the fall 2027 class | $31,271 |
| Vanderbilt University private |
| Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay; Opportunity Vanderbilt full-tuition scholarship ($200,000 pledge) | $101,916 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
6 more Tennessee colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Austin Peay State University
- Tennessee State University
- Southern Adventist University
- Cumberland University
- Fisk University
- Freed-Hardeman University
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to Tennessee from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 9 colleges in Tennessee take part:
- Austin Peay State University
- East Tennessee State University
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Tennessee State University
- Tennessee Tech University
- University of Memphis
- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- University of Tennessee at Martin
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Going from Tennessee to another southern state
A Tennessee student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to Tennessee to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to Tennessee students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,600 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Tennessee scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Tennessee at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Tennessee.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.