College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

East Tennessee State University

TNLarge public institution · Overall rank #469 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places the university overall in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

East Tennessee State University is a public university in Johnson City, Tennessee, where Health Professions and Business account for the largest shares of degrees. Access is well above average, and mobility is well above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures and a subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain.

Return is below the levels seen at many peers. Pell recipients finish below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole.

The lowest income band averages a net price well below the published cost, and affordability is well above average. The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest program, Nursing, is not the highest-earning one.

East Tennessee State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
86.2%
Six-year completion[2]
53.2%
Four-year earnings[3]
$53,033

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$16,400
Median student debt[4]
$19,442
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$16,938

East Tennessee State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

East Tennessee State University is a public university in Johnson City, Tennessee, enrolling 10,004 undergraduates. Its composite standing is in the upper half of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (68th percentile).

The strongest is access, and the weakest is return. The university admits 86.2% of applicants, which is above the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of full-time first-year students, 75.7% return for a second year, a figure that trails the peer median of 83.1%. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time, full-time cohort is 53.2%, also below the peer median of 65.0%.

An estimated 31.8% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, meaning a substantial share of the student body began their studies elsewhere. The four pillars are not far apart, with access, affordability, and mobility all sitting in the upper quarter of the field. Return is the one that stands apart (25th percentile).

Access is the clearest positive in the university’s profile, rather than return. Azimuth places East Tennessee State University in the 80th percentile for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth puts affordability in the 77th percentile nationally and mobility in the 76th percentile. Return, the weakest pillar, is in the 25th percentile.

Pell Grants reach 34.8% of undergraduates, a measure of financial access. The middle half of SAT scores submitted by enrollees ran from 980 to 1,200, and the ACT middle half ran from 19 to 26.

Azimuth ranks East Tennessee State University #293 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients finish at 46.9%, trailing the overall six-year rate (53.2%) by 6.3 percentage points.

Azimuth ranks East Tennessee State University #356 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,461 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

East Tennessee State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#469

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 76
Access & reach
National percentile: 80
Affordability
National percentile: 77
Return on investment
National percentile: 25

Top-ranked majors

  1. Graphic Communications#11
  2. Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other#13
  3. Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General#16

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / East Tennessee State University briefing

East Tennessee State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

At East Tennessee State University, aid recipients see a substantial reduction from the published charge, though their average price is somewhat higher than at comparable institutions. The published cost of attendance is $27,042, with in-state tuition and fees of $10,472 and room and board of $10,554.

Out-of-state tuition and fees are $14,522. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,983.

Aid reduces the published cost by $11,059 on average, covering about 41% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, and this university is above it by $349.

Azimuth places East Tennessee State University in the 77th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid offsets much of the listed charge, but the remains above the peer median.

East Tennessee State University has a published cost of attendance of $27,042, with aid-recipient costs differing substantially by family income. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,433 in the low-income family-income band, $14,289 in the lower-middle band, $16,400 in the middle band, $20,588 in the upper-middle band, and $21,193 in the high-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,760. Azimuth ranks East Tennessee State University #320 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid offsets a notable portion of the published price, although the overall aid-recipient average sits above the comparable-institution median. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 41% of the published cost, equal to average financial aid savings of $11,059 against the sticker price.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $15,983. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, leaving East Tennessee State’s average $349 above that figure.

Published in-state tuition is $10,472, and out-of-state tuition is $14,522. Borrowing at completion is below the comparable-institution median, but federal loans are used by a substantial share of undergraduates.

Federal loan borrowers who completed had median federal student loan debt of $19,442 at completion. For comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $20,076, placing the university’s median $634 below it; 75.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $16,938. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $221 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$16,400

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at East Tennessee State University

Federal borrowing is common at East Tennessee State University, with 75.9% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $19,442, which is $634 below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $16,938.

The investment picture at East Tennessee State University is mixed: graduates earn less than the model expects, but borrowing stays below the peer median. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,033.

Azimuth places that figure in the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,461 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 38th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $41,242 in a downside case to $75,987 in an upside case, with $53,033 as the typical scenario. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,442 in federal student loans, which is $634 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $221 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parent borrowers, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers, have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $16,938. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $221 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$19,442
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$16,938

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$221/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$215/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / East Tennessee State University briefing

East Tennessee State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Access is stronger than return at East Tennessee State University, and the return figures point downward. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $4,461 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations means the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students; this reading falls in the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,533. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,994.

Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $53,033, placing them in the 26th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, leaving earnings $12,577 below that benchmark. The modeled result and peer comparison tell the same story.

Among East Tennessee State University graduates who received federal aid and are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completing a degree is $53,033. The figure comes from an earnings cohort of 2,918 completers and falls at the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $4,461 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $41,242 on the downside to $75,987 on the upside.

The typical earnings scenario lands at $53,033, matching the observed median. These figures are earnings scenarios, not observed outcomes for specific graduates.

An estimated 28.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of East Tennessee State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,033. That is $12,577 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #1,102 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,461 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 38th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,533.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,994. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $370.

The program mix points toward health professions and business, with an estimated 28.3% of graduates continuing to graduate study. Earnings scenarios, estimated from that mix, range from a downside of $41,242 to an upside of $75,987.

The range across earnings scenarios is wide, making program choice a central part of the earnings picture at East Tennessee State University. The downside earnings scenario is $41,242 and the upside scenario is $75,987; both are estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups.

Among higher-earning fields, median earnings four years after completion are $106,593 in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, $82,073 in Computer and Information Sciences, and $75,298 in Engineering Technologies/Technicians. Those field-level medians help explain why the earnings scenarios span such different outcomes.

Borrowers leave East Tennessee State University with somewhat less federal debt than comparable institutions, though earnings remain an important concern. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,442.

That is below the $20,076 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $634. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $221 a month if repaid over ten years.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,983. It is above the $15,634 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $349.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, add another caution. Graduates earn about $4,461 less than the model expects for similar students.

Lower debt and a higher average net price pull in different directions, while earnings below the model reinforce the need to weigh program choice carefully.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$5,533
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$9,994
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$4,461

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / East Tennessee State University briefing

East Tennessee State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

East Tennessee State University admitted most applicants in its reported pool, at an admission rate of 86.2%. The rate is above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
86.2%
Approximate lower endpoint
980
Reported average
1144
Approximate upper endpoint
1200

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / East Tennessee State University briefing

What are the largest majors at East Tennessee State University?[12]

Program-level earnings at East Tennessee State University differ substantially across fields four years after completion. At the higher end, Nursing had median earnings of $74,311 from 502 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #253 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences recorded $60,298 across 67 degrees awarded and ranks #13 nationally by Azimuth in its field. More moderate earnings appear in Graphic Communications, with $41,074 from 53 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #11 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Dental Support Services and Allied Professions had $65,649 across 29 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it #23 nationally in its field. The figures show a clear difference between the higher-earning health fields and the more moderate graphic communications field.

Health Professions is the largest academic family at East Tennessee State University, accounting for 30.5% of bachelor’s degrees awarded. Azimuth identifies 28 ranked bachelor’s fields, so program choice matters within a degree mix centered on health-related study.

Among the ranked fields, Graphic Communications stands at #11 nationally in its field, with 53 degrees awarded and median earnings of $41,074 four years after completion. Azimuth places Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences at #13 nationally in its field; 67 degrees were awarded, and median earnings were $60,298 four years after completion.

Engineering Technologies/Technicians is #16 nationally in its field, with 52 degrees awarded and median earnings of $75,298 four years after completion.

The bachelor's degrees at East Tennessee State University are anchored in health care. Health Professions accounts for 30.5% of degrees awarded, with Business a distant second at 12.9% and Psychology third at 6.3%.

The university has 34 programs with published four-year earnings data, 28 of which carry an Azimuth national rank. The largest single program is Nursing, at 502 degrees awarded, followed by Psychology with 159 and Business Administration and Management with 134.

The highest-earning program is a small one: Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration graduates earn a median of $106,593 four years after completion, from 8 degrees awarded. Computer and Information Sciences is the second-highest-earning, with a median of $82,073 and 91 degrees awarded.

Nursing, the largest program, is also the fourth-highest-earning at $74,311, and Azimuth ranks it #2 in Tennessee within its field. The highest-ranked program is Graphic Communications, with 53 degrees awarded and median earnings of $41,074; Azimuth ranks it #1 in Tennessee within its field.

The pattern is a university built around a large health-care core, with the strongest earnings concentrated in a handful of clinical and technical fields that graduate relatively few students. The largest program, Nursing, delivers solid earnings at scale, but the programs that award the most degrees outside of health care—Psychology and Business Administration and Management—sit below the national median for their fields. Across all programs, 12.3% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 502 degrees awarded
$74,311
Psychology, General 159 degrees awarded
$42,358
Business Administration, Management and Operations 134 degrees awarded
$55,719
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 121 degrees awarded
$47,821
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 94 degrees awarded
$44,738
Computer and Information Sciences, General 91 degrees awarded
$82,073

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / East Tennessee State University briefing

How does East Tennessee State University serve students from different backgrounds?

The mobility picture is mixed: completion measures are stronger than the modeled earnings signal. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 53.2%; Pell recipients complete within six years at 46.9%, below the overall rate by 6.3 percentage points.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, East Tennessee State University is in the 76th percentile for mobility. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 38th percentile. Graduates earn about $4,461 less than the model expects for similar students.

With 10,004 undergraduates, East Tennessee State University has a large undergraduate presence and comparatively open entry. It admits 86.2% of applicants, while Pell Grant recipients represent 34.8% of undergraduates.

The estimated share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group is 31.8%, another route into the university. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, its access pillar stands in the 80th percentile.

The admission rate, Pell participation, and transfer estimate describe several paths into this public university.

06 / East Tennessee State University briefing

What colleges are similar to East Tennessee State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with East Tennessee State University.

Admissions peerGardner-Webb University77.2% admitted
Comparison with East Tennessee State University
MeasureEast Tennessee State UniversityGardner-Webb University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,033$60,516+$7,483 vs East Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,983$17,674+$1,691 vs East Tennessee State University · higher cost
Admission rate86.2%77.2%
Higher-admission alternativeAustin Peay State University96.4% admitted
Comparison with East Tennessee State University
MeasureEast Tennessee State UniversityAustin Peay State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,033$52,456-$577 vs East Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,983$9,735-$6,248 vs East Tennessee State University · lower cost
Admission rate86.2%96.4%
Explore Austin Peay State University →
Nearby alternativeKing UniversityNearby option · TN
Comparison with East Tennessee State University
MeasureEast Tennessee State UniversityKing University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,033$61,394+$8,361 vs East Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,983$22,347+$6,364 vs East Tennessee State University · higher cost
Admission rate86.2%99.7%
Explore King University →
Higher-earnings alternativeGardner-Webb University$60,516 earnings
Comparison with East Tennessee State University
MeasureEast Tennessee State UniversityGardner-Webb University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,033$60,516+$7,483 vs East Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,983$17,674+$1,691 vs East Tennessee State University · higher cost
Admission rate86.2%77.2%
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of South Carolina-Upstate$13,557 average net price
Comparison with East Tennessee State University
MeasureEast Tennessee State UniversityUniversity of South Carolina-Upstate
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,033$55,994+$2,961 vs East Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,983$13,557-$2,426 vs East Tennessee State University · lower cost
Admission rate86.2%67.3%
Explore University of South Carolina-Upstate →
Similar profileWestern Carolina UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with East Tennessee State University
MeasureEast Tennessee State UniversityWestern Carolina University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,033$54,667+$1,634 vs East Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,983$13,315-$2,668 vs East Tennessee State University · lower cost
Admission rate86.2%81.8%
Explore Western Carolina University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings