College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Tennessee State University

TNMedium public institution · Overall rank #502 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places Tennessee State University in the 66th percentile overall.

Who it’s a good fit for

Tennessee State University is a public university in Nashville, Tennessee, where Health Professions and Business lead the degree mix. Access is well above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures—field of study, enrollment and the local labor market—and a subtraction to what it cannot explain.

Return is modestly below average. Pell recipients complete at a rate within a fraction of a point of the entering cohort as a whole.

At the same time, the lowest and highest income bands pay within a few thousand dollars of each other, so the net price is fairly flat across the income scale. The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the highest-earning fields, like Accounting, award far fewer degrees.

Tennessee State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
70.1%
Six-year completion[2]
34.0%
Four-year earnings[3]
$53,808

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$15,579
Median student debt[4]
$27,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$18,771

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

Tennessee State University sits in Nashville, Tennessee, as a public university enrolling 4,848 undergraduates. Its overall standing falls in the middle of the field among nonprofit four-year institutions (the 66th percentile).

The admission rate is 70.1%, below the 85.9% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Among first-time, full-time students, 33.5% continue into a second year, while the six-year graduation rate is 34.0%.

Those rates trail the peer medians of 73.7% and 49.1%. Because the six-year rate counts only first-time, full-time students, it describes a minority of the people who study here.

An estimated 23.0% of the student body transfers in, meaning many undergraduates began elsewhere. The four are spread wide.

Access is the strongest, reaching the 89th percentile, while return is the weakest at the 35th percentile. Mobility and affordability sit close together in the middle of the field, at the 57th and 58th percentiles respectively.

That pattern gives Tennessee State University its particular shape: a public campus where financial access is the standout and return is the clear weakness.

Access is the strongest pillar at Tennessee State University, though return is the area that warrants the closest reading. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places access in the 89th percentile and mobility in the 57th percentile.

Affordability stands in the 58th percentile, while return is in the 35th percentile, the weakest pillar. Access is stronger than return, with mobility and affordability between those ends of the profile.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores at Tennessee State University fell between 880 and 1,050. For the ACT, the middle 50% spanned 16 to 21.

Pell Grants go to 51.1% of undergraduates. For access, Azimuth ranks Tennessee State University #159 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The six-year Pell completion rate is 33.5%, which sits 0.5 percentage points below the overall rate (34.0%). For mobility, Azimuth ranks the university #627 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $133 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

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

Tennessee State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#502

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 57
Access & reach
National percentile: 89
Affordability
National percentile: 58
Return on investment
National percentile: 35

01 / Tennessee State University briefing

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

At Tennessee State University, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,796. That is the average after aid rather than a quoted price for any one family.

The published cost of attendance is $25,637. In-state tuition and fees are $8,616, alongside $11,150 for room and board; out-of-state tuition and fees are $22,416.

Aid reduces the published price by an average of $9,841 for recipients. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $14,068, leaving Tennessee State $1,728 above that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks the public university #596 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid brings down the listed cost, though the average remaining price is above the peer benchmark.

For aid recipients, Tennessee State University has a published cost of attendance of $25,637, with prices after aid differing across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,005 for families in the lowest family-income band; $15,840 in the lower-middle band; $15,579 in the middle band; $20,624 in the upper-middle band; and $20,099 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,094. Azimuth ranks the university #596 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $9,841. Across all aid recipients, the is $15,796.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, and the university's average is $1,728 above it. Published in-state tuition is $8,616, compared with $22,416 for out-of-state tuition.

Aid offsets part of the published cost, though the average price remains above the peer median. Federal-loan borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $27,000, and 84.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, placing the university $5,771 above that figure. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,771.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$15,579

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Tennessee State University

Federal borrowing reaches 84.4% of federal aid recipients at Tennessee State University, so debt is part of the cost picture for many students. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $21,229; Tennessee State’s median is $5,771 above that mark. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,771.

Tennessee State University has near-expected earnings, but borrowing sits above the comparable-institution benchmark. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $53,808 four years after completion; Azimuth places that figure in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are close to the model’s estimate. Graduates earn about $133 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Azimuth places this measure in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The downside and upside earnings scenarios span $44,165 to $73,525, and the typical scenario matches the observed median.

Median federal student loan debt is $27,000, which is $5,771 above the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Near-expected earnings and debt above peers point to a mixed return picture.

Parent PLUS loans, held by a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $18,771. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 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
$27,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$18,771

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$307/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$238/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 / Tennessee State University briefing

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

Access is the stronger pillar at Tennessee State University, while the return picture is uneven. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 35th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $133 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Earnings beyond expectations, the model gap for similar students, is in the 54th 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 $3,161. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,294.

Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $53,808 four years after completion, in the 29th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, and the university is $3,493 below it. The measures diverge.

Four years after completing a degree, Tennessee State University graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,808. That figure is $3,493 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and Azimuth places it in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort is 1,350 federally aided completers. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical figure of $53,808, with a downside scenario of $44,165 and an upside scenario of $73,525.

An estimated 28.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. Graduates earn about $133 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. That result lands at the 54th percentile.

The return picture is mixed: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $53,808 four years after completion, placing them in the 29th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, leaving Tennessee State University $3,493 below it.

Graduates earn about $133 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 54th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,161. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,294.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,411. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $44,165 on the downside to $73,525 on the upside.

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 35th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer comparison and near-expected earnings point in different directions.

Program results vary within the largest fields. Business Administration and Management is the largest, with 94 degrees awarded and median earnings of $57,083 four years after completion, or 0.84x of the national median for its field.

Accounting had 14 degrees awarded and the highest listed median, $69,414, at 0.91x of its field's national median. Biology awarded 60 degrees and posted $59,855, or 1.05x of the national field median.

These field-level figures show a wider range than the institution-wide median alone.

The earnings scenarios span from $44,165 on the downside to $73,525 on the upside. They are based on program mix rather than observed groups of graduates.

Individual fields show where some of that variation appears: Accounting has median earnings of $69,414 four years after completion, Computer Science reaches $67,292, and Allied Health Professions reaches $63,629. These field figures sit within the modeled range rather than assigning graduates to observed earnings groups.

The debt-and-earnings picture is mixed at Tennessee State University. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000, excluding Parent PLUS.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229; the university's figure is above it by $5,771. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $18,771. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, provide a second lens.

Graduates earn about $133 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Higher debt than comparable institutions alongside earnings effectively at the model's expected level leaves a mixed return picture.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$3,161
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$3,294
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$133

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 / Tennessee State University briefing

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

At Tennessee State University, applicants were admitted at a rate of 70.1% in the reported entering-class pool. That rate is below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

It describes an applicant-pool outcome rather than a forecast for any individual.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
70.1%
Approximate lower endpoint
880
Reported average
1000
Approximate upper endpoint
1050

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 / Tennessee State University briefing

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

Four-year earnings differ across Tennessee State University programs, separating a pair of higher-earning fields from larger options with more moderate figures. Accounting reports median earnings of $69,414 four years after completion, alongside 14 degrees awarded.

Computer Science follows with median earnings of $67,292 and 27 degrees awarded. Among the larger programs, Psychology had median earnings of $46,721 four years after completion and 65 degrees awarded.

Criminal Justice recorded $46,062 with 44 degrees awarded. The higher figures in the first pair and the more moderate figures in the latter pair show how earnings vary by field at the university.

Health Professions is the largest program family, representing 16.6% of bachelor’s degrees awarded at Tennessee State University. Published field earnings offer a view four years after completion that is separate from the schoolwide median.

Among the higher-earning fields, Accounting awarded 14 degrees and had median earnings of $69,414 four years after completion. The variation gives applicants reason to review field-level outcomes alongside award volume.

The degree mix at Tennessee State University is led by Health Professions, which accounts for 16.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, closely followed by Business at 15.0%. Psychology is the third-largest family, at 8.3% of degrees.

The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, with 94 degrees awarded, while Psychology and Biology follow at 65 and 60 degrees awarded. The university has 20 programs with published four-year earnings data.

The highest-earning program is Accounting, where graduates earn a median of $69,414 four years after completion, with 14 degrees awarded. Computer Science is next at $67,292, with 27 degrees awarded.

Allied Health Professions follows at $63,629, with 24 degrees awarded. The largest program, Business Administration and Management, also appears among the top earners at $57,083.

The pattern is one of broad access across professional and liberal arts fields, with no single program dominating the degree count. The highest earnings are concentrated in technical and health-related fields, but the largest programs by degrees awarded sit below the national median for their fields: Business Administration and Management at 0.84x and Psychology at 0.92x.

18.6% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, a share that sits alongside a larger presence in health and business. The three highest-earning programs together account for a modest share of total degrees awarded.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 94 degrees awarded
$57,083
Psychology, General 65 degrees awarded
$46,721
Biology, General 60 degrees awarded
$59,855
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other 47 degrees awarded
$48,365
Criminal Justice and Corrections 44 degrees awarded
$46,062
Communication and Media Studies 43 degrees awarded
$43,121

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 / Tennessee State University briefing

How does Tennessee State University serve students from different backgrounds?

Access is Tennessee State University’s strongest pillar, while mobility pairs a 34.0% six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort with graduate earnings near the model’s expected level. Pell recipients in that cohort complete within six years at 33.5%, below the overall rate by 0.5 percentage points.

Azimuth places the university's mobility pillar in the 57th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $133 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in Azimuth’s 54th percentile nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Broad entry and a substantial Pell Grant share make access the clearest pillar at Tennessee State University. With 4,848 undergraduates, the public university admits 70.1% of applicants.

Pell Grant recipients account for 51.1% of undergraduates, and an estimated 23.0% of the undergraduate population enters as transfers or part-time students. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the access pillar sits in the 89th percentile. These measures describe multiple routes into a sizable undergraduate community.

06 / Tennessee State University briefing

What colleges are similar to 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 Tennessee State University.

Admissions peerBethel University60.2% admitted
Comparison with Tennessee State University
MeasureTennessee State UniversityBethel University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,808$62,152+$8,344 vs Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,796$12,595-$3,201 vs Tennessee State University · lower cost
Admission rate70.1%60.2%
Higher-admission alternativeAustin Peay State University96.4% admitted
Comparison with Tennessee State University
MeasureTennessee State UniversityAustin Peay State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,808$52,456-$1,352 vs Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,796$9,735-$6,061 vs Tennessee State University · lower cost
Admission rate70.1%96.4%
Explore Austin Peay State University →
Nearby alternativeAustin Peay State UniversityNearby option · TN
Comparison with Tennessee State University
MeasureTennessee State UniversityAustin Peay State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,808$52,456-$1,352 vs Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,796$9,735-$6,061 vs Tennessee State University · lower cost
Admission rate70.1%96.4%
Explore Austin Peay State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeTrevecca Nazarene University$64,175 earnings
Comparison with Tennessee State University
MeasureTennessee State UniversityTrevecca Nazarene University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,808$64,175+$10,367 vs Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,796$16,813+$1,017 vs Tennessee State University · higher cost
Admission rate70.1%69.4%
Lower-cost alternativeAustin Peay State University$9,735 average net price
Comparison with Tennessee State University
MeasureTennessee State UniversityAustin Peay State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,808$52,456-$1,352 vs Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,796$9,735-$6,061 vs Tennessee State University · lower cost
Admission rate70.1%96.4%
Explore Austin Peay State University →
Similar profileClayton State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Tennessee State University
MeasureTennessee State UniversityClayton State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$53,808$54,430+$622 vs Tennessee State University
Average annual net price$15,796$8,365-$7,431 vs Tennessee State University · lower cost
Admission rate70.1%68.5%
Explore Clayton State 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