Best Online Colleges in Tennessee for 2024
Get detailed info on Best Online Colleges in Tennessee and their online degrees, financial aid and scholarships, acceptance rate, tuition and fees.
Tennessee is a state that is known for its educational endeavors. There are more than 80 online colleges in Tennessee. It’s one amongst the 16-member states of ‘Southern Regional Educational Board’. The Tennessee state colleges provide assistance to their online students through the Tennessee Board of Regents ‘TN eCampus’.
The state provides financial aid to the students. In 2014, approximately $87.5 million was awarded for need-based grants and $287 million was awarded for non-need based grants.
Opportunities for college education in Tennessee
The eCampus in Tennessee has around 50 institutions in partnership with 6 state universities, 15 community colleges and around 30 colleges of Applied Technologies. These offer more than 500 courses and online programs to the students and have got more than 400 courses that can be pursued fully or partially online.
The number of student enrollment in 2016 was 321,751 and the total number of degrees awarded were 13,225 Associate's Degree, 35,255 Bachelor's Degree, 11,841 Master's Degree and 3,670 Doctoral Degrees according to the National Center for Education and Statistics.
The students at the best online colleges in Tenessee have the provision of e-library which is a huge resource of study materials helping students get all the study information under a single portal. There are also online tutorials available to students. Tenessee is evolving as an efficient online education hub and is embracing technology for its endeavors.
The following is a list of top online colleges in Tennessee in 2019.
1 The University of Memphis (UofM)
Memphis, Tennessee
Institution Type: Public
Financial Aid Percentage: 93%
Average Financial Aid: $8,759
Acceptance Rate: 57.00
Total Programs Offered (55)
14
Education Programs
10
Business Management Programs
6
Health Science Programs
25
Other Programs
The University of Memphis (UofM) is a research-oriented public university accredited by SACSCOC. The campus offers high-quality housing facilities for students, psychological counseling services, career advisory services and more. The division of Research and Innovation has formed the University of Memphis Research Council to promote research in the academic curriculum.
Being an active participant in the Yellow Ribbon scholarship program, it also has a Veteran and Military Student Services Department to provide academic benefits to veterans, members of service and their dependents. It also supports the training of students who aspire to join the armed forces, through the Reserve Officer Training Corps Program.
2 Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, Tennessee
Institution Type: Public
Financial Aid Percentage: 93%
Average Financial Aid: $8,263
Acceptance Rate: 89.00
Total Programs Offered (26)
4
Education Programs
4
Business Management Programs
4
Nursing Programs
14
Other Programs
Austin Peay State University is a public university popularly recognized for being the largest provider of higher education to military-associated students. The institutional accrediting body is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
It offers on-campus and online Associate degrees, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in numerous areas. Around 88% of the faculty have a doctorate degree and remaining are into research concerning their respective field.
The median salary of the university’s alumni in the last academic year was $42,000. The Tennessee Official Investigation Bureau ranked the university as one among the safest campuses in the state.
3 The University of Tennessee (UT)
Knoxville, Tennessee
Institution Type: Public
Financial Aid Percentage: 89%
Average Financial Aid: $8,864
Acceptance Rate: 77.00
Total Programs Offered (26)
9
Education Programs
7
Nursing Programs
6
Engineering Programs
4
Other Programs
The University of Tennessee is a public university accredited and assessed institutionally by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Recognized for extensive research imbibed in the curriculum, it earned a position among the top 20% of the Best Global Universities. The university website has an exclusive section named ‘Vols Online’, consisting of information about online programs.
Around 58% of undergraduates received financial assistance last academic year, the average amount of need-based scholarships or grants awarded is $10,498. The Veterans Resource Centre manages financial assistance to be given to guardsmen, veterans, reservists, a member on military/army duty and their dependents.
4 Trevecca Nazarene University
Nashville, Tennessee
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 98%
Average Financial Aid: $16,484
Acceptance Rate: 72.00
Total Programs Offered (17)
5
Education Programs
4
Business Management Programs
2
Health Science Programs
6
Other Programs
Trevecca Nazarene University is a private, not-for-profit university offering Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s and Doctoral degrees exclusively online. The institutional accrediting body is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. A distinct feature of this university is that the programs offered online are completely online with no classroom requirements. The study materials are delivered to the students’ residence.
Experienced faculty deliver the classes with practical integration for better understanding of the students. The university provides support with respect to financial benefits, GI benefits, and corporate repayment.
Concession on tuition fees is provided to military students and their dependents, to evaluate the college credits of the student it considers the military training also. The median salary of alumni starts from $50000.
5 East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee
Institution Type: Public
Financial Aid Percentage: 88%
Average Financial Aid: $8,075
Acceptance Rate: 92.00
Total Programs Offered (84)
17
Business Management Programs
15
Education Programs
13
Nursing Programs
39
Other Programs
East Tennessee State University is a public university providing both synchronous as well as asynchronous online courses. The accrediting body for the university is Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Students need not necessarily opt for an entirely online program to pursue a specific course, rather they have the option to opt for a specific online course. The university offers video conferencing and classroom services through web-based software, accessible by staff, faculty as well as students.
It has been nominated consecutively for 5 years as a Military Friendly university as it offers training and educational benefits to veterans, military students and their dependents. Other facilities include vocational rehabilitation, services to specially abled and senior citizens. The median starting salary of the university’s alumni is $55000.
6 Union University
Jackson, Tennessee
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 100%
Average Financial Aid: $21,703
Acceptance Rate: 63.00
Total Programs Offered (36)
15
Business Management Programs
11
Nursing Programs
7
Education Programs
3
Other Programs
Union University is a private, not-for-profit university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The university offers online programs in disciplines of Business, Ministry, Nursing, and Education.
It comprises of entirely online programs (to opt at a customized schedule of the student) as well as blended online programs which involve interaction with the instructor and other students on the web. It offers online book store, library, disability, counseling and health services, vocation center (spiritual learning), IT services such as shared portals, media networking, and edTech.
Education is made affordable for students by providing financial aid through Federal Pell Grants, Tennessee Student Assistance Award, Lottery Scholarships, and others. The average starting salary of the alumni is $56000.
7 Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Institution Type: Public
Financial Aid Percentage: 91%
Average Financial Aid: $8,592
Acceptance Rate: 69.00
Total Programs Offered (30)
10
Business Management Programs
6
Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
4
Education Programs
10
Other Programs
Middle Tennessee State University is a public university accredited by SACSCOC. It is popularly known for providing outstanding online and hybrid programs for 21 years.
The university strives to provide similar services to both online and on-campus students. It offers online career advisory center, D2L support program, online tutorials, and more online services to the online students. The university comprises of various centers working on research projects and public service projects.
The Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center in the college work constantly to support and assist the military and veteran members and their families seeking to enter academics from the military. The average starting salary of alumni is $56000.
8 King University
Bristol, Tennessee
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 97%
Average Financial Aid: $18,961
Acceptance Rate: 51.00
Total Programs Offered (15)
3
Business Management Programs
2
Nursing Programs
1
Criminal Justice Program
9
Other Programs
King University is a private, not-for-profit university offering quality online programs in Business, Healthcare, and Information Technology. It is accredited by SACSCOC. The online programs include ‘year round’ undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses.
The university offers military aid to members of the Armed Forces (veterans and active members) and their family. As part of military and veteran benefits, the institute offers advisory and counseling services, educational benefits, and concessions. Transfer credits are allowed for C grade or higher and 76 semester hours are the maximum credit applicable.
The Princeton Review recognized King University under best colleges (for quality of campus life) for 15 years consecutively, also it was distinguished as ‘Military Friendly School’.
9 Freed-Hardeman University (FHU)
Henderson , Tennessee
Institution Type: Private For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 99%
Average Financial Aid: $17,188
Acceptance Rate: 96.00
Total Programs Offered (8)
5
Theology Programs
2
Business Management Programs
1
Education Program
Freed-Hardeman University (FHU) is a private institution that has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The Office of Students Services seeks to meet all the needs of the student by providing them help in their career, education, counseling, medical attention and more. The undergraduate programs this university offers are Arts and Sciences, Biblical Studies, Business and more.
The average GPA needed is 3.53 out of 4.0 for admission. The SAT and ACT scores should composite between 970-1170 and 22-28 respectively.
There are many student-led clubs such as Professional Club, Social Club, Spiritual Club, and Government Student Club. Some student organizations include Campus Delegate Team (CDT), Student Alumni Association (SAA) and University Council (UC). FHU has been ranked 39th in the ‘Regional Universities South’ by the U.S news.
10 Lincoln Memorial University (LMU)
Harrogate, Tennessee
Institution Type: Private Not-For-Profit
Financial Aid Percentage: 100%
Average Financial Aid: $18,627
Acceptance Rate: 50.00
Total Programs Offered (6)
3
Nursing Programs
1
Criminal Justice Program
1
Business Management Program
1
Other Program
Lincoln Memorial University is a private, not-for-profit university that provides excellent online programs in the areas of Business, Nursing, Criminal Justice, Management and Medical Science. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accredits Lincoln Memorial University.
The college offers career services, counseling, an online repository for books and study materials, financial aid services, grievance redressal, and other resources to online learners.
Around 65% of the total population of students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, federal and state-funded loans. The university works in collaboration with the ‘Yellow Ribbon Program’ to manage the military assistance veterans benefits for education and so on.
