Why This Matters
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32 TWO-YEAR INSTITUTIONS IN TENNESSEE
College Navigator has documented 32 two-year associate degree programs across Tennessee.
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$4,639 AVERAGE IN-DISTRICT TUITION & FEES
According to data from College Board, the average Tennessee student paid a tuition of $4,639 at in-district community colleges for the 2022-23 school year.
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80.6% OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID
The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 370,718 students attending two-year institutions during the 2020-21 school year received some type of financial aid.
Our Research
This list features some of the best community colleges in Tennessee. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions. We included small, midsize, and large colleges as well as trade, technical, and vocational programs. Next, we compared this comprehensive list to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like the U.S. News & World Report among others to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
The colleges on our list are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), a reputable organization that examines objectives, quality and overall effectiveness of education programs in the southern United States.
We evaluated each school on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Online College Programs That Might Interest You
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
The Top 50 Community Colleges in Tennessee
Discover More Options
What You Should Know About Graduating From Community College in Tennessee
While pursuing higher education, you should consider your career potential and desired salary. As of 2021, the highest paying jobs that require an associate degree in Tennessee were air traffic controllers, hydrologic technicians, funeral home managers, nuclear technicians, and radiation therapists.
Job seekers with an associate degree should also review which careers typically have the most job openings. In the state of Tennessee, these occupations are preschool teachers (excluding special education), paralegals and legal assistants, physical therapist assistants, computer network support specialists, and radiologic technicians.
In addition to reviewing jobs that have positive employment outlooks, job seekers should keep in mind which occupations are projected to see a decline. Careers expected to have the greatest decline for associate degree holders in Tennessee are geological technicians, desktop publishers, and human resources assistants (excluding payroll and timekeeping).
What’s Next?
Every student should take into account the cost of higher education. To help with the process of finding financial aid opportunities, we’ve assembled a list of federal and state resources that connect associate degree students to scholarships and grants across Tennessee.
- Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission helps students obtain funding for their degrees by providing information about in-state tuition, loans, and financial aid.
- Federal Student Aid. The U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid supports students every year by offering $120 billion in scholarships, grants, and loans. You can determine your eligibility at the FAFSA4caster, and you can apply with the online FAFSA form.
- CareerOneStop. This site, sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, helps students find scholarships and grants available in their state. After filtering their search by degree level and location, students will receive a full list of scholarships, as well as their associated award amounts, qualification requirements, and deadlines.