Ranking
Best Design and Applied Arts Colleges in Tennessee 2026
18 Tennessee colleges offering Design and Applied Arts, ranked by EduGradify value grade.
- Schools ranked
- 18
- Cheapest net price
- $4,754
- Top earnings 10y
- $60,249
- Public / Private
- 9 / 8
Pellissippi State Community College
A+- ROI score
- 19.29
- Net price
- $4,983
- Earnings 10y
- $38,440
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Southwest Tennessee Community College
A+- ROI score
- 17.92
- Net price
- $4,754
- Earnings 10y
- $34,071
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Chattanooga State Community College
A+- ROI score
- 17.79
- Net price
- $5,283
- Earnings 10y
- $37,598
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Christian Brothers University
A- ROI score
- 14.58
- Net price
- $9,854
- Earnings 10y
- $57,478
- Acceptance
- 86.7%
Nashville State Community College
A- ROI score
- 14.21
- Net price
- $6,777
- Earnings 10y
- $38,519
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
University of Memphis
B- ROI score
- 9.77
- Net price
- $12,397
- Earnings 10y
- $48,458
- Acceptance
- 72%
Middle Tennessee State University
B- ROI score
- 9.08
- Net price
- $13,359
- Earnings 10y
- $48,541
- Acceptance
- 69.1%
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
B- ROI score
- 8.96
- Net price
- $14,265
- Earnings 10y
- $51,151
- Acceptance
- 81.1%
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
B- ROI score
- 7.94
- Net price
- $18,976
- Earnings 10y
- $60,249
- Acceptance
- 41.6%
East Tennessee State University
C- ROI score
- 7.02
- Net price
- $15,983
- Earnings 10y
- $44,859
- Acceptance
- 86.2%
Maryville College
C- ROI score
- 6.36
- Net price
- $19,360
- Earnings 10y
- $49,279
- Acceptance
- 60.9%
Carson-Newman University
C- ROI score
- 5.97
- Net price
- $20,251
- Earnings 10y
- $48,382
- Acceptance
- 90.5%
Lipscomb University
C- ROI score
- 5.61
- Net price
- $24,739
- Earnings 10y
- $55,541
- Acceptance
- 67.7%
Southern Adventist University
C- ROI score
- 5.52
- Net price
- $24,345
- Earnings 10y
- $53,723
- Acceptance
- 65.5%
Freed-Hardeman University
C- ROI score
- 5.50
- Net price
- $21,574
- Earnings 10y
- $47,485
- Acceptance
- 59.7%
Milligan University
C- ROI score
- 5.46
- Net price
- $21,365
- Earnings 10y
- $46,641
- Acceptance
- 72.3%
Belmont University
D- ROI score
- 4.22
- Net price
- $33,147
- Earnings 10y
- $55,930
- Acceptance
- 95.3%
Nossi College of Art and Design
D- ROI score
- 3.65
- Net price
- $24,044
- Earnings 10y
- $35,113
- Acceptance
- 46.3%
How we picked this list
This list starts with Tennessee schools with positive Design and Applied Arts program-share evidence, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The set's average EduGradify ROI score is 9.38 (9 public, 8 private).
Every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See our full methodology for the formulas.
FAQ
Who leads this ranking?
Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, TN tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.
How does EduGradify pick this list?
We rank this set by roi score using the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — see our methodology for the full formula. No paid placements, no surveys.
How many Tennessee colleges are in this list?
18 Tennessee colleges qualified for this ranking based on available federal data.
What does net price mean here?
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — not the sticker price. It is reported by each college to the U.S. Department of Education.