Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in Tennessee
12
Meet the Ranking Threshold
5
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$19,609
With a Fully Online Option
3
General Studies Associate Degrees in Tennessee
General studies associate degrees in Tennessee are dominated by one program. Austin Peay State University in Clarksville awarded 762 of them in the latest year, and the other four ranked programs, all at private universities, awarded 16 to 30 each. Five programs met the ranking threshold, and 7 more, each awarding 1 to 6 degrees, appear in the table of other programs. Every one of the 12 is at a four-year school, which makes this a level where you'd normally start and finish the bachelor's at the same place.
Austin Peay scores 60.4, 102nd nationally on our list, with a 40% graduation rate and $8,675 in resident tuition and fees, the lowest at this level in the state. The four private programs reverse that picture. Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson graduates 71%, the highest rate here and far above Austin Peay's, but it charges $25,000 and ranks 228th nationally because the score also weighs tuition and size. Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City graduates 53% at $34,700, the highest price on the list, Bethel University in McKenzie 35% at $17,530, and Tusculum University in Greeneville, the one ranked program you can finish online, 25% at $28,500.
Among the 7 smaller programs, the University of Tennessee Southern in Pulaski is the second public option at $10,506, and Le Moyne-Owen College in Memphis, at $12,076, is the lowest-priced private one. Trevecca Nazarene University and King University offer theirs online.
The 5 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Tennessee
The best general studies associate degrees in Tennessee are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Tennessee. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Austin Peay State University
Tennessee
60.4- Public
- College graduation rate
- 40%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $8,675 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 762
About the Program
Austin Peay State University is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee that enrolls 10,439 students. Some 762 associate's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 94% of the programs ranked alongside it. Its college-wide graduation rate is 40%, the 65th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Expect tuition and fees of $8,675 a year as a resident and $14,219 otherwise. Applicants face little risk of rejection, because 96% are admitted. Strongest of its measures is the number of degrees it awards, which lands at the 94th percentile.
2
Freed-Hardeman University
Tennessee
48.7- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 71%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $25,000 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 16
About the Program
Based in Henderson, Tennessee, Freed-Hardeman University is a private nonprofit university with 2,306 students on its rolls. The program's last federal report shows 16 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 11 in every 100 programs measured here. Of the students who start at Freed-Hardeman University, 71% graduate, and that beats 99 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $25,000 a year in tuition and fees. Getting in is not automatic, because 60% of applicants are admitted. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 99th percentile.
3
Carson-Newman University
Tennessee
43.0- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 53%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $34,700 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 16
About the Program
Based in Jefferson City, Tennessee, Carson-Newman University is a private nonprofit university with 2,669 students on its rolls. It conferred 16 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 11% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. A 53% graduation rate puts the college at the 88th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Every student pays $34,700 a year in tuition and fees, since the institution sets one rate. About 90% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 88th percentile.
4
Bethel University
Tennessee
31.5- Private nonprofit
- College graduation rate
- 35%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $17,530 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 30
About the Program
Bethel University is a private nonprofit university in McKenzie, Tennessee that enrolls 2,936 students. During the most recent year on record it awarded 30 associate's degrees, a count at the 26th percentile for size. Its college-wide graduation rate is 35%, the 51st percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Tuition and fees are $17,530 a year for every student, residents and nonresidents alike. About 60% of applicants are admitted, so an application is not a formality. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 51st percentile.
5
Tusculum University
Tennessee
14.1- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 25%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $28,500 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 22
About the Program
Greeneville, Tennessee is home to Tusculum University, a private nonprofit university of 1,103 students. The program's last federal report shows 22 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 18 in every 100 programs measured here. Its college-wide graduation rate is 25%, the 19th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents and nonresidents are both charged $28,500 a year in tuition and fees. Distance students can complete the whole degree online, so where you live matters less here. Applicants are admitted at a rate of 72%, which leaves room for a rejection. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 19th percentile.
Other General Studies Associate Degrees in Tennessee
The other general studies associate degrees in Tennessee awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville | 6 | 53% | $30,090 |
| The University of Tennessee Southern, Pulaski | 5 | 37% | $10,506 |
| King University, Bristol | 4 | 48% | $34,800 |
| Johnson University, Knoxville | 3 | 57% | $20,318 |
| Le Moyne-Owen College, Memphis | 3 | 27% | $12,076 |
| American Baptist College, Nashville | 1 | 39% | $12,474 |
| Bryan College-Dayton, Dayton | 1 | 50% | $18,900 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Tennessee?
A general studies associate degree in Tennessee costs $19,609 a year in tuition and required fees at the median of the 12 programs, a figure that reflects how many of them are at private universities: 10 of the 12. Austin Peay State University, at $8,675, is the cheapest and the only ranked public program, and the University of Tennessee Southern in Pulaski, the other public option, is $10,506 on 5 degrees. The ranked private programs run from Bethel University's $17,530 through Freed-Hardeman's $25,000 and Tusculum's $28,500 to Carson-Newman's $34,700. Out of state, Austin Peay charges $14,219, and the private universities charge everyone the same.
The state's headline adult program doesn't reach these programs. Tennessee Reconnect is a last-dollar scholarship for adults to attend a community college tuition-free, and every associate degree on this page is at a four-year school. The grant that does apply is the Tennessee Student Assistance Award, a need-based award for Tennessee residents enrolled at least half-time with a Student Aid Index of 5000 or less, which you'd use at Austin Peay or any of the private universities. If free tuition matters most, a community college associate is what Reconnect pays for.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Tennessee?
A general studies associate degree transfers in Tennessee most reliably when it follows a Tennessee Transfer Pathway, and the pathways are community college curricula, which puts the programs on this page in an unusual spot: all 12 are at four-year schools. A pathway is an approved AA, AS or AST curriculum at a community college designed to move you into a four-year program, built as 60 hours, 41 in the general education core and 19 in pre-major or elective courses, and its credits transfer to Tennessee's public universities and participating private universities. Finish one and every community college course you took is accepted and counts toward the major.
An associate from Austin Peay or Freed-Hardeman isn't a pathway, so the practical question is what the university does with its own degree. At Austin Peay, ask whether the general studies associate rolls into one of its bachelor's programs without a new application. At a private university, ask which public universities have accepted the degree in full, and get the answer in writing. If you take online courses through the public system's TN eCampus, no difference between online and on-campus delivery appears on transcripts or diplomas.
If you started at a community college and moved to a university before finishing, Tennessee Reverse Transfer lets you combine university and community college credits to earn the associate degree.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Tennessee?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Tennessee pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Tennessee
Choosing a general studies associate degree program in Tennessee means choosing between the cheap, large public program and a private one that finishes far more of its students, because nothing on the list sits in between. Austin Peay costs $8,675 and graduates 40%. Freed-Hardeman costs $25,000 and graduates 71%. The price gap is the whole decision, and Austin Peay's $8,675 also applies to its bachelor's and master's, so you can keep going there without changing schools or price.
If you plan to continue to a bachelor's, note that Tennessee's transfer guarantee runs through Transfer Pathways built as community college curricula, so with a university associate, ask whether the general studies degree feeds that university's own bachelor's without reapplying and how your credits would move to a different university. Ask about aid too: Tennessee Reconnect is a last-dollar scholarship for community college, and these programs are at universities, so the need-based Tennessee Student Assistance Award, for residents enrolled at least half-time with a Student Aid Index of 5000 or less, is the state grant to ask about. Online students have one ranked option, Tusculum, and two smaller ones at Trevecca Nazarene and King.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in Tennessee have their own page.