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East Tennessee State University: ETSU Campus Quad
Photo: Smoke321, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

National university

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, TN · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $15,983 a year

Median debt at graduation: $19,442 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good · Top 41%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.53%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.76%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,144 · ACT 22.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.15 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$15,541

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$12,433
$30,001–$48,000$14,289
$48,001–$75,000$16,400
$75,001–$110,000$20,588
Over $110,000$21,193

Full cost of attendance before aid: $27,042 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
10,633
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 40% · Women 60%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
38%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
21%
Total students13,586
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$15,983
Cost of attendance (per year)$27,042
Median federal debt at graduation$19,442
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
53%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
47%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
47%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
51%
First-year retention76%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$44,859
Admission rate86%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$25
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $893 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants35%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 980–1200ACT 19–26
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1144
SAT reading & writing510–620
SAT math470–580
ACT composite19–26
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Good · Top 44% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration$106,593
Computing and information science$82,073
Engineering Technologies/Technicians$75,298
Nursing$74,311
Dental assisting$65,649
Allied health$62,853
Other health professions and related clinical sciences$60,298
Marketing$58,583
Finance$58,232
Accounting$57,642
Biology$57,167
Business administration$55,719
Public health$52,543
Mathematics$49,423
Political science$48,452
Writing and rhetoric$48,263
Kinesiology and exercise science$47,821
Liberal arts$44,738
Special education$44,224
History$44,142
Criminal justice$43,998
Social work$43,855
Teacher education$43,687
Family and human development$43,051
English$43,001
Psychology$42,358
Communication studies$41,570
Design$41,449
Graphic communications$41,074
Human services$40,288
Sociology$36,966
Music$35,707
Fine arts$34,516
Theatre$28,062

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Anthropology, Chemistry, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Economics, Engineering (general), Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Ethnic and gender studies, Geography, Geology and earth science, Health administration, International relations, Linguistics, Managerial economics, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Philosophy, Physics, Rehabilitation and therapy.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Health professions32%
Business12%
Parks, recreation and fitness6%
Psychology6%
Visual and performing arts4%

Campus life

School colors
SettingCity
Part-time undergraduates11%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older14%
On-campus room and board (per year)$10,554
SportsNCAA Division I · Southern Conference
ROTCArmy
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member15 to 1
Disability servicesVisit the office’s pageThe college’s own page
Faculty who are full-time68%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$8,756IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 29% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceTri-Cities Regional TN/VA Airport (TRI)About 12 miles away · about 30 minutes by car
Nearest major airportCharlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)About 110 miles away
Town population72,222Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreCharlotteAbout 115 miles away · about 3 hours 35 minutes by car
Typical weather36°F in January · 75°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Elizabethton, TN, about 8 miles away

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.050.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.050.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is East Tennessee State University’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does East Tennessee State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $15,983 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into East Tennessee State University?
East Tennessee State University admitted 86% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do East Tennessee State University’s graduates do?
53% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $44,859; the median federal debt at graduation is $19,442.

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About this school’s data
  • IPEDS unit ID 220075
  • Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (high research)
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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