The College Consensus ranking of the Best Online Colleges in Tennessee combines the results of the most respected college ranking systems with the averaged ratings of thousands of real student reviews from around the web to create a unique college meta-ranking. This approach offers a comprehensive and holistic perspective missing from other college rankings. Visit our about page for information on which rankings and review sites were included in this year’s consensus rankings.
The Best Online Colleges & Universities in Tennessee category is limited to schools in Tennessee offering at least three fully-online degree programs at any level. Schools that did not qualify for a Consensus Score were ranked by their Student Review score.
If you’re interested in traditional campus-based schools, check out our ranking of the Best Colleges in Tennessee. You can also find out more about college financial aid with our list of the Top Tennessee Scholarships.
Online Learning in Tennessee
With online degree programs popping up throughout the nation, as a result, more students are taking advantage of the option of higher learning from the comfort of home. This is where the best online education options are a huge benefit. One of the benefits of applying to online degrees in Tennessee is the convenience the online program colleges provide. Convenience is a key point to many online students, especially if they come from rural areas or located far from any local college or university. Commuting or traveling by either car, train, or bus can become wearisome, and expensive as well. Though, many students do travel to college campuses for different club and organization meetings on their off time. Another benefit for students that enroll in an online degree program is the many career paths that become available.
Tennessee is no stranger to distant learning opportunities for undergraduates or graduate students. Although most online degrees in Tennessee are open to anyone over the age of 18, the applicants that benefit the most from online programs in Tennessee are working students, high school students, and adult learners wanting to finish an incomplete career path or start a new career itself. Tennessee’s colleges and universities offer many other benefits to the online student. If the student is looking for a flexible class schedule, then choosing an online program may be the best fit for the applicant.
How Can I Save Money on an Online Degree in Tennessee?
Affordable online colleges in Tennessee are not hard to find. In fact, Tennessee online colleges are known to have the lowest tuition costs throughout the nation. In addition, the tuition rate is only about $500 (per academic year difference) from on-campus learning. The University of Tennessee in Knoxville is one example of low tuition rates for the online student. There are several ways that online students can save some money by taking online programs in Tennessee. One way is to receive in-state tuition from a regional University in Tennessee. Many colleges and universities offer in-state tuition if the student is living in the same region or one of the bordering states.
The state also provides several affordable online community colleges in Tennessee, making it easier for students on a budget to pursue a career path. In most states like Tennessee, community colleges offer tuition rates that are a fraction of the price of state or regional colleges in Tennessee. Community colleges may also provide scholarships for online students, in a way to offer more discounts to the online student compared to on-campus learning. There are a few more ways to save on online programs. With online learning, the student can save money on books, commuting costs, and more IT interaction. Flexibility of logging on to the college website from anywhere also makes the online option more prevalent to choose.
What About Online Public Universities in Tennessee?
There is a vast number of online public universities in Tennessee. Most of the public colleges provides Bachelor’s, Master’s, or even online Doctoral programs in Tennessee. The public colleges or universities in the state are scattered between big cities, urban towns, and rural areas. For the most part, they are four-year, online institutions; however, there are some Community colleges throughout the state as well. For instance, there are close to thirty colleges or universities in just the Nashville district alone. Many of the Nashville institutions are public online colleges, however, there are a few that are private institutions.
Some small towns that have less than 20,000 people tend to have community colleges; however not all are public, some are private colleges as well. Online community colleges in Tennessee provide a two-year program; most students that take courses or associate’s degrees at community colleges shortly move on to four-year universities to finish their education. Students like to choose Tennessee online degree programs at public colleges because of the convenience that is offered. In addition, public universities are usually run or set up by state governments, whereas private institutions are funded by individuals or private groups, outside of government entities.
Related Rankings:
Best Colleges & Universities in Tennessee