2027 at a glanceTennessee Degree Completion Programs at a Glance
- The #1 school for degree completion in Tennessee in 2027 is Middle Tennessee State University, because its rate is $331 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 8 other colleges on this list) and its graduates in this field earn a median $75,044 a year (the highest on this list).
- #2 is University of Tennessee, Knoxville: 59% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 5 other colleges on this list).
- #3 is The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: 56% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 4 other colleges on this list).
The ranking
Degree Completion Programs in Tennessee, Ranked
#1Murfreesboro, TennesseeMiddle Tennessee State University
Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Systems
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #1: Its rate is $331 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 8 other colleges on this list) and its graduates in this field earn a median $75,044 a year (the highest on this list).
Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro reviews your previous college transcripts for both admission and credit evaluation. The Information Systems BBA then adds 30 hours of information systems courses focused on analysis, design and implementation, and the published plan includes a Business Administration minor.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 11%
#2Knoxville, TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville
Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences, Applied Data Analytics and User Experience
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #2: 59% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 5 other colleges on this list) and its rate is $385 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 7 other colleges on this list).
UT Knoxville's online Information Sciences degree asks for just one transferable credit after high school and a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Instruction is fully online and asynchronous, with no live sessions. Eligible transfer coursework applies toward the 120 credits, and you study database design, SQL and usability testing.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 1%
- Where You Start
- Applicants need at least one transferable post-high-school credit and a 2.0 cumulative GPA; fewer than 24 credits also requires a high school transcript.
#3Chattanooga, TennesseeThe University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Leadership
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #3: 56% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 4 other colleges on this list) and its online rate is $439 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 5 other colleges on this list).
UT Chattanooga built its Applied Leadership degree for adults who started a bachelor's and never finished. Core classes run online in 7-week blocks, and you can take up to 12 credits a semester. In-state students pay $439 per credit hour online, and military service can earn up to 60 hours of prior learning credit.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 6%
- Where You Start
- Apply to UTC and send official transcripts from every college you attended; you must be in good standing and eligible to return to your last school
- Transfer Credits
- Up to 90 credits from a four-year institution (at least 25% of the degree is completed with UTC faculty) or up to 60 from a two-year college (60 hours must be completed at a senior institution)
- Published Tuition
- $439 per credit hour for in-state students and $467 for out-of-state students (maintenance, online support and technology fees), plus a $26 library fee each term
- Study Schedule
- Core courses run online in a 7-week format; take up to four courses (12 credits) a semester
#4Nashville, TennesseeTrevecca Nazarene University
Bachelor of Science in Business (Degree Completion)
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #4: 65% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (the highest on this list) and its online rate is $419 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 6 other colleges on this list).
Trevecca asks for at least 40 earlier college hours and a 2.0 GPA, then moves you through its business core one six-week class at a time. Only 36 of the 120 credits are core classes, so transfer credit and prior learning cover most of the rest. The next online start date is February 23, 2027.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 16%
- Where You Start
- At least 40 semester hours from an accredited institution and a 2.0 GPA on all academic work, with official transcripts sent to Trevecca
- Transfer Credits
- 36 core hours are taken at Trevecca; transfer credit and prior learning count toward the other 84 hours (30 general education and 54 electives)
- Degree Requirements
- 120 credits
- Published Tuition
- $419 per credit hour (36 hours, $15,084 total tuition), plus a $150 student resource fee per course
- Study Schedule
- One six-week class at a time, fully online and asynchronous; as little as 18 months
#5Johnson City, TennesseeEast Tennessee State University
Bachelor of Science in Human Services
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #5: 64% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 8 other colleges on this list) and 15% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 5 other colleges on this list).
East Tennessee State evaluates your transfer credits first, then tells you which university and program requirements are left. The online Human Services degree takes at least 120 credits in total and includes 350 fieldwork hours, mostly in the senior year, so plan that time before you enroll.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 15%
- Degree Requirements
- At least 120 credits total.
- Published Tuition
- $692 per credit hour in state and $856.50 at the eRate for out-of-state students, tuition only (ETSU Online programs)
#6Cookeville, TennesseeTennessee Technological University
Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies, Organizational Leadership Concentration
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #6: 62% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 7 other colleges on this list) and its online rate is $514 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 2 other colleges on this list).
Tennessee Tech reviews learning from your earlier college work through its professional studies process. The Organizational Leadership concentration is a 120-credit degree that pairs a 21-credit professional core with a 15-credit concentration, and it ends with a three-credit culminating project based on research or a real-world problem.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 3%
- Published Tuition
- $514 per credit hour for Tennessee residents and $654 for domestic out-of-state students, including the online course fee (TN eCampus undergraduate, 2025-26)
#7Nashville, TennesseeLipscomb University
Bachelor of Professional Studies in University Studies
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #7: 60% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 6 other colleges on this list) and it accepts up to 94 transfer credits (the highest on this list).
Lipscomb in Nashville lets you bring in up to 94 transfer credits toward its 126-credit University Studies degree, then choose two 12-credit concentrations such as Organizational Leadership or Psychology. Courses last 8 weeks and everything is online. Depending on your credits, you could finish in as little as a year at $574 per credit hour.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 3%
- Where You Start
- High school diploma plus official college transcripts from all schools attended with a minimum 2.0 GPA; high school transcripts only if you have fewer than 60 college hours
- Transfer Credits
- Up to 94 credits through transfer
- Degree Requirements
- 126 credits
- Published Tuition
- $574 per credit hour
- Study Schedule
- 8-week courses, fully online and asynchronous
#8Memphis, TennesseeUniversity of Memphis
Bachelor of Liberal Studies
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #8: Its online rate is $490 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 3 other colleges on this list) and it accepts up to 90 transfer credits (higher than 2 other colleges on this list).
The University of Memphis designed its online Bachelor of Liberal Studies for adult learners and applies earlier college credits where they fit. You combine two academic areas, then finish with a senior project that includes a professional resume. The degree requires at least 120 credits, so your transcript decides how much is left.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 21%
- Where You Start
- The online Liberal Studies degree is designed for adult learners and can incorporate applicable previous college credits.
- Transfer Credits
- At least 25% of the degree must be earned at the University of Memphis, which leaves up to 90 of 120 credits that can transfer
- Degree Requirements
- The degree requires at least 120 credits.
#9Clarksville, TennesseeAustin Peay State University
Bachelor of Science in Leadership Science, Leading People
OnlineTransfer entry route
Why it ranks #9: Its online rate is $331 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 8 other colleges on this list) and 18% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 7 other colleges on this list).
Austin Peay in Clarksville offers its leadership major online in 8-week courses, so it can sit alongside a full-time job. The university sets no maximum on credit from a community college, and it grants credit for military service. Tennessee residents pay $331 per credit hour in tuition before fees.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 18%
- Where You Start
- Transfer applicants with 60 or more attempted hours need a minimum 2.0 GPA for regular admission; with 30 to 45 hours the minimum is 1.8
- Published Tuition
- $331 per credit hour for in-state students and $580 for out-of-state students, before program service fees
#10Martin, TennesseeThe University of Tennessee at Martin
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
OnlineDegree completion route
Why it ranks #10: Its online rate is $470 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 4 other colleges on this list) and 19% of its undergraduates study fully online (higher than 8 other colleges on this list).
The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies at UT Martin is made for people going back to finish, and you can take it fully online. An advisor helps you design courses around your career goals. Up to 60 hours of non-college credit, including military, CLEP and portfolio work, can count, and residents pay $470 per credit hour.
- Undergraduates Fully Online
- 19%
- Where You Start
- With 12 or more college-level hours you need a 2.0 GPA to be admitted; students away from college for a semester or longer may be considered on probation below 2.0
- Transfer Credits
- Up to 60 hours of non-college credit, including military, portfolio, DANTES and CLEP
- Published Tuition
- $470 per credit hour for Tennessee residents and $511 for out-of-state students, with no tuition cap on online hours
Build a Plan Around Your Transfer Credits.
List the college credits you already have in the degree planner, then bring that list and your questions to a Tennessee school’s transfer advisor. The school’s evaluation decides which credits count toward your degree.
Build your degree plan ↗Going Back to College in Tennessee
Start by gathering transcripts from every college you attended. Tennessee Reconnect has a course equivalency search that shows how courses line up before you apply. If your credits came from a community college, the Tennessee Transfer Pathway guarantees that courses taken on a followed pathway are accepted and count toward the major. Public universities charge residents less than nonresidents online: UT Chattanooga is $439 per credit hour for in-state students, UT Martin is $470, and Austin Peay is $331 in tuition before fees. Private schools such as Lipscomb (74) and Trevecca (19) list a single per-credit rate.
Read the official guidance: Tennessee Reconnect
The State of Tennessee's initiative to help adults enter higher education and complete a degree or credential. The site lets you search programs, courses, college portraits and course equivalencies, and a navigator line answers questions.
Who qualifies: Open to adults returning to or starting college in Tennessee.
Visit the official Tennessee Reconnect page ↗Tennessee Transfer Pathway
Community college students who follow a pathway and earn an A.A. or A.S. are guaranteed that their courses will be accepted at Tennessee public universities and many private universities, and that they will count toward the major.
Read the official guidance: Every college on every state list is scored the same way, out of 100. The measures, from most to least weight:
- Transfer Student Completion (25%): the share of transfer students who earn a degree within eight years (IPEDS Outcome Measures).
- Cost per Credit (20%): the online per-credit rate the school publishes, at the resident rate for in-state schools, or the federal per-credit charge when no online rate is published.
- Transfer Credit Maximum (15%): the most transfer credit the featured degree accepts, from the school’s own policy.
- Online Experience (15%): the share of undergraduates who study fully online (IPEDS).
- Graduate Earnings (15%): median earnings of the school’s graduates in that field (College Scorecard).
- School Reputation (10%): a rating of how employers regard the school’s bachelor’s degrees, made the same way for every school from its published facts.
When a measure is missing for a college, it gets the middle value for that measure, so missing data never helps a school move up.
Read the full state ranking method ↗ Before you call an admissions officeQuestions About Finishing Your Degree in Tennessee
Which School Has the Best Degree Completion Program in Tennessee?+
The #1 school for degree completion in Tennessee in 2027 is Middle Tennessee State University, because its rate is $331 per credit for Tennessee residents (lower than 8 other colleges on this list) and its graduates in this field earn a median $75,044 a year (the highest on this list). #2 is University of Tennessee, Knoxville: 59% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 5 other colleges on this list). #3 is The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: 56% of its transfer students earn a degree within eight years (higher than 4 other colleges on this list). The order comes from transfer student graduation rates, cost per credit, transfer credit limits, online experience, graduate earnings and school reputation, weighted the same way for every state.
What Is Tennessee Reconnect?+
Tennessee Reconnect is the state's initiative to help adults enter higher education and complete a degree or credential. Its website lets you search for programs, courses and course equivalencies, so you can see how your earlier credits might line up. You can email ask@tnreconnect.gov or call (800) 342-1663 with questions about next steps.
Read the official guidance: Will My Community College Credits Count Toward a Bachelor's in Tennessee?+
If you followed a Tennessee Transfer Pathway and earned an A.A. or A.S., the guarantee says your community college courses will be accepted at Tennessee public universities and many private ones, and that they count toward the major. Credits outside a pathway are evaluated by each school, so send transcripts early and ask for a credit review.
Read the official guidance: Do Tennessee Public Universities Charge Residents Less for Online Courses?+
Yes. UT Chattanooga lists $439 per credit hour for in-state online undergraduates and $467 for out-of-state. UT Martin's 2026-2027 online rate is $470 for residents and $511 for nonresidents. Austin Peay charges $331 per credit hour in tuition for in-state students and $580 for out-of-state students, before program service fees.
Read the official guidance: 
