Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Tennessee

Colleges ranked by how many years of extra earnings, above a high school graduate’s, cover four years of net price.

Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Tennessee7 schools

7 schools qualify, ranked by payback years.

How this list is made

Schools in Tennessee.
Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
Academic Excellence grade B+ or better (the top 35% of rated colleges).
Has median earnings ten years after enrolling and a net price from federal data (College Scorecard), and those earnings are above a high school graduate’s ($48,360 a year: median weekly earnings of $930 for full-time workers with a high school diploma, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024).
Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
Payback years = four years of net price ÷ (earnings − a high school graduate’s earnings). Ordered by payback years, fewest first. A simple estimate: it leaves out interest, taxes and earnings growth.

Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.

School	Net price a year	Median debt	Earnings 10 years out	Graduation rate
Vanderbilt University	$15,846	$14,000	$91,565	94%
Rhodes College	$28,585	$21,761	$66,651	85%
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	$18,976	$20,500	$60,249	74%
The University of the South	$27,872	$22,855	$64,911	80%
Lipscomb University	$24,739	$19,500	$55,541	72%
Belmont University	$33,147	$20,500	$55,930	71%
Union University	$27,171	$20,714	$53,990	66%

Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Federal data (College Scorecard). “—” means the school reports no figure.