Most Affordable Public Universities in Tennessee
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
10 public universities in Tennessee are listed here, 10 of them reporting a net price. They run from $9,735 a year at Austin Peay State University to $18,976 at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, with a middle of about $14,246.
The cheapest are Austin Peay State University, The University of Tennessee-Martin and University of Memphis. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Tennessee, cheapest first · 10
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Austin Peay State University
- The University of Tennessee-Martin
- University of Memphis
- The University of Tennessee Southern
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Tennessee Technological University
- The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
- Tennessee State University
- East Tennessee State University
- The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Tennessee?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Austin Peay State University at about $9,735 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do public universities in Tennessee cost on average?
- Across the 10 public universities in Tennessee that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $14,246 a year after aid, running from $9,735 to $18,976.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the public universities listed here it runs from 19% to 51%, with a middle of about 35%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
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