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Best Value Nursing Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

44 Colleges
$7,675 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$68,124 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

There are so many healthcare programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 44 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

$4,430 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Southwest Tennessee Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Located in the large city of Memphis, Southwest is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southwest are $4,430 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Southwest carry an average student debtload of $18,522.

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$4,618 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Jackson State Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. JSCC is a small public school located in the city of Jackson.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at JSCC are $4,618 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at JSCC accumulate an average of around $6,185 in student debt.

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$4,410 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Dyersburg State Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the distant town of Dyersburg, DSCC is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DSCC are $4,410 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at DSCC take out is $13,000.

Full Nursing at Dyersburg State Community College Report

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$4,416 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Motlow State Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the rural area of Tullahoma, Motlow is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Motlow undergraduate students pay an average of $4,416 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Motlow carry an average student debtload of $5,950.

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$4,422 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northeast State Community College is a great value for nursing students. Located in the rural area of Blountville, Northeast State Technical Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeast State Technical Community College are $4,422 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Northeast State Technical Community College take out $7,523 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Northeast State Community College Report

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$4,430 Average Tuition & Fees

Chattanooga State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #6 on the list. Chattanooga State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Chattanooga.

Chattanooga State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,430 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Chattanooga State Community College take out an average of $16,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$4,399 Average Tuition & Fees

Walters State Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the small city of Morristown, WSCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WSCC are $4,399 a year. On average, nursing graduates from WSCC take out $8,069 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$4,666 Average Tuition & Fees

Columbia State Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Columbia State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Columbia.

Columbia State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,666 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Columbia State Community College carry an average student debtload of $16,500.

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$4,456 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Pellissippi State Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Pellissippi State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Knoxville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pellissippi State Community College are $4,456 per year. Nursing majors at Pellissippi State Community College take out an average of $18,341 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$4,372 Average Tuition & Fees

Nashville State Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in Tennessee ranking. Nashville State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Nashville.

Nashville State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,372 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Nashville State Community College take out is $27,000.

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Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Florida 21,209
North Carolina 7,425
Kentucky 6,395
Georgia 7,112
West Virginia 1,771
Virginia 6,775
Alabama 7,364
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
Arkansas 2,882

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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