Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Bachelor's Degrees in Tennessee
12
Meet the Ranking Threshold
4
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$21,599
With a Fully Online Option
5
General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Tennessee
General studies bachelor's degrees in Tennessee are 12 programs, but only the four at public universities meet the ranking threshold, and Middle Tennessee State University awards more of these degrees than the other 11 programs put together. MTSU in Murfreesboro has the highest score in the state at this level, 64, 39th nationally on our list, on a 54% graduation rate, 106 degrees a year and $9,506 in resident tuition and fees. Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville scores 50.6 with the highest graduation rate among the ranked four, 58%, on 16 degrees at $10,084, online. The University of Memphis scores 39.5 on a 51% graduation rate, 14 degrees and $10,344, also online, and Austin Peay State University in Clarksville scores 38.6 on a 40% graduation rate, 19 degrees and $8,675, the lowest price among the ranked programs.
The eight programs in the table of other programs each awarded 2 to 9 degrees. Tennessee State University in Nashville is public, online and the cheapest program on the page at $8,568, and it awarded 2 degrees. The seven private programs run from Bryan College in Dayton at $18,900 with a 50% graduation rate to Rhodes College in Memphis at $54,892 with an 85% rate on 8 degrees. Lipscomb University graduates 72% at $38,824, and Tusculum, Trevecca Nazarene and Fisk sit between.
Five of the 12 are online, and two of those are ranked: Tennessee Tech and Memphis. MTSU and Austin Peay are campus programs.
The 4 Best General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Tennessee
The best general studies bachelor's degrees in Tennessee are ranked below by their national score, from the national bachelor's 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
Middle Tennessee State University
Tennessee
64.0- Public
- College graduation rate
- 54%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $9,506 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 106
About the Program
Middle Tennessee State University is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that enrolls 20,488 students. It conferred 106 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 78% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. A 54% graduation rate puts the college at the 62nd percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Tuition and fees are $9,506 a year for residents and $29,042 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 56% of programs at this level. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 69% of applicants accepted. Its strongest mark is the number of degrees it awards, at the 78th percentile.
2
Tennessee Technological University
Tennessee
50.6- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 58%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $10,084 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 16
About the Program
Tennessee Technological University is a public university in Cookeville, Tennessee that enrolls 10,511 students. During the most recent year on record it awarded 16 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 16th percentile for size. Its college-wide graduation rate is 58%, the 73rd percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents pay $10,084 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $20,116. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. Admission is selective enough to plan for, with 76% of applicants accepted. Strongest of its measures is the graduation rate of its college, which lands at the 73rd percentile.
3
University of Memphis
Tennessee
39.5- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 51%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $10,344 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 14
About the Program
Memphis, Tennessee is home to University of Memphis, a public university of 20,276 students. It conferred 14 bachelor's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 11% of the bachelor's programs ranked at this level. Across the whole college, 51% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 53% of the institutions behind this list. Tuition and fees run $10,344 a year in state against $14,784 out of state, so on price it sits at the 42nd percentile. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. Applicants are admitted at a rate of 72%, which leaves room for a rejection. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 53rd percentile.
4
Austin Peay State University
Tennessee
38.6- Public
- College graduation rate
- 40%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $8,675 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 19
About the Program
Austin Peay State University is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee that enrolls 10,439 students. During the most recent year on record it awarded 19 bachelor's degrees, a count at the 25th percentile for size. Across the whole college, 40% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 25% of the institutions behind this list. Tuition and fees run $8,675 a year in state against $14,219 out of state, so on price it sits at the 71st percentile. Getting in is rarely the obstacle, with 96% of applicants admitted. Its strongest mark is price, at the 71st percentile.
Other General Studies Bachelor's Degrees in Tennessee
The other general studies bachelor's 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland University, Lebanon | 9 | 46% | $27,840 |
| Bryan College-Dayton, Dayton | 8 | 50% | $18,900 |
| Rhodes College, Memphis | 8 | 85% | $54,892 |
| Fisk University, Nashville | 5 | 30% | $24,298 |
| Tusculum University, Greeneville | 4 | 25% | $28,500 |
| Lipscomb University, Nashville | 3 | 72% | $38,824 |
| Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville | 3 | 53% | $30,090 |
| Tennessee State University, Nashville | 2 | 34% | $8,568 |
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 Bachelor's Degree Cost in Tennessee?
A general studies bachelor's degree in Tennessee costs $21,599 a year in tuition and required fees at the median of the 12 programs, but the five public universities all charge between $8,568 and $10,344: Tennessee State $8,568, Austin Peay $8,675, MTSU $9,506, Tennessee Tech $10,084 and Memphis $10,344. The seven private programs start at $18,900 at Bryan College and climb through Fisk ($24,298), Cumberland ($27,840), Tusculum ($28,500), Trevecca Nazarene ($30,090) and Lipscomb ($38,824) to Rhodes at $54,892. For nonresidents the public rates spread out: Austin Peay charges $14,219 and Memphis $14,784, while MTSU charges $29,042.
At a university, the state grant to ask about is the need-based Tennessee Student Assistance Award, for Tennessee residents enrolled at least half-time with a Student Aid Index of 5000 or less. Tennessee Reconnect, the better-known program, is a last-dollar scholarship for adults to attend a community college tuition-free, so it pays for the two years before you transfer to MTSU or Tennessee Tech, not for the bachelor's itself. For an adult starting from zero, the cheapest path to this degree runs through a community college on Reconnect and then a Transfer Pathway into one of these universities.
How Does Credit Transfer Into a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Tennessee?
Credit transfers into a general studies bachelor's degree in Tennessee most cleanly through a Tennessee Transfer Pathway, which promises that every community college course you took is accepted and counts toward the major at a public university or a participating private one. A pathway is an approved AA, AS or AST curriculum at a community college of 60 hours, 41 in the general education core and 19 in pre-major or elective courses, and the credits transfer to Tennessee's public universities and participating private universities, which covers MTSU, Tennessee Tech, Memphis and Austin Peay outright and the private programs only if they've signed on.
The pathways are written around majors, so the move for a general studies bachelor's is to pick the pathway closest to what you'll study and ask the university's general studies advisor how it maps in. The 41-hour core is the part that travels regardless. If you've been taking courses online through the public system's TN eCampus, no difference between online and on-campus delivery appears on transcripts or diplomas, which matters if you're finishing online at Tennessee Tech or Memphis and want the record to read like anyone else's.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Bachelor's Degree Pay in Tennessee?
Jobs open to a general studies bachelor's 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 Bachelor's Degree Program in Tennessee
How to choose a general studies bachelor's degree program in Tennessee is first a question of campus or online, because the two split the ranked four down the middle: MTSU (54% graduation, $9,506) and Austin Peay (40%, $8,675) on campus, Tennessee Tech (58%, $10,084) and Memphis (51%, $10,344) online. MTSU is the large program, with 106 degrees a year, and Tennessee Tech has the highest graduation rate on a small cohort of 16. Austin Peay is the cheapest ranked program and the one that finishes the fewest of its students.
The private programs are small and expensive, and their graduation rates run from 25% at Tusculum to 85% at Rhodes, so if you're looking at one, ask how many students are in the general studies program now rather than relying on a campus-wide rate built on 3 to 9 graduates a year. Ask every university which Transfer Pathway maps most cleanly into its general studies degree, how many hours must be taken in residence, whether online courses run through TN eCampus, and whether you qualify for the Tennessee Student Assistance Award at the credit load you plan.
If you're starting with an associate degree, the general studies associate degrees in Tennessee have their own page.