NurseSavvy ranking · Tennessee · updated October 10, 2026
Best Nursing Schools in Tennessee (2026): The NurseSavvy Top 10
We ranked all 56 RN programs in Tennessee that publish a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, on the four things that decide whether a program gets you to a nursing license you can afford: passing the NCLEX, actually finishing, the cost next to what nurses earn in Tennessee, and what graduates earn a year out.
Austin Peay State University comes out on top. Here are the top 10, with every number’s source — and you can re-rank them by what matters to you.
No school can pay for placement. Public data only — see the full methodology.
Rank it your way
Rank Tennessee’s 56 RN programs on what matters to you
NCLEX pass rate, students who finish, cost vs nurse pay, grads’ early pay — compare in-state, by region, or nationwide.
The top 10 nursing programs in Tennessee
Scores are out of 100 under the default NurseSavvy weights. A school with two programs (say, an ADN and a BSN) can appear twice.
- 175score
Austin Peay State University
ClarksvilleBachelor Degree· Public
A 97.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 108 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.2% of 108
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $9,735/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $68,235 1 yr out
- 275score
University of Tennessee Martin
MartinBachelor Degree· Public
A 97.3% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 37 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.3% of 37
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $10,701/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $71,727 1 yr out
- 374score
Middle Tennessee State University
MurfreesboroBachelor Degree· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 66 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 66
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $13,359/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $65,839 1 yr out
- 473score
University of Tennessee Chattanooga
ChattanoogaBachelor Degree· Public
A 98.3% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 114 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 98.3% of 114
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $14,265/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $65,273 1 yr out
- 571score
University of Tennessee Southern
PulaskiBachelor Degree· Public
A 100% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 12 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 100% of 12
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $12,798/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $67,349 1 yr out
- 669score
Cumberland University
LebanonBachelor Degree· Private nonprofit
A 97.8% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 45 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.8% of 45
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,759/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $67,094 1 yr out
- 769score
University of Tennessee Knoxville
KnoxvilleBachelor Degree· Public
A 96.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 276 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 96.7% of 276
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,976/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $65,298 1 yr out
- 868score
Lee University
ClevelandBachelor Degree· Private nonprofit
A 97.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 36 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 97.2% of 36
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $18,878/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $67,930 1 yr out
- 968score
Chattanooga State Community College
ChattanoogaAssociate Degree· Public
A 95.9% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 169 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 95.9% of 169
- Students who finish
- 62% finish
- Cost-to-pay value
- $5,283/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $64,950 1 yr out
Start to license: 59 of every 100 who start finish on time and pass the NCLEX first try.
- 1068score
Tennessee Technological University
CookevilleBachelor Degree· Public
A 94.7% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate across 132 test-takers carries its score.
- NCLEX strength
- 94.7% of 132
- Students who finish
- Not publishedfill-in
- Cost-to-pay value
- $14,246/yr net price
- Early-career earnings
- $61,379 1 yr out
Fill-in: a figure the program hasn’t published is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs that publish it (same degree type) — not its own number.
The Tennessee leaders on each measure
Different students weigh these differently — here is who leads on each one alone, among programs that publish it.
- Highest NCLEX pass rate: Pellissippi State Community College (Associate Degree), 100% first-time.
- Most students finish: Chattanooga State Community College (Associate Degree), 62% on time.
- Lowest average net price: Roane State Community College, $4,270/yr.
- Highest graduates’ pay: Baptist Health Sciences University, $74,962 one year out.
- Top ADN vs top BSN: Chattanooga State Community College (#9 overall) and Austin Peay State University (#1 overall).
How we ranked Tennessee’s nursing schools
- NCLEX pass rate (33%). The 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN rate from the Tennessee board of nursing, steadied for small cohorts.
- Students who finish (33%). The program’s own on-time completion rate, where a board or the program publishes it.
- Cost vs nurse pay (20%). Average net price per year next to Tennessee’s median RN pay (College Scorecard + BLS).
- Graduates’ early pay (14%). What the program’s nursing graduates earn one year out, next to the state’s RN median.
A missing figure is a labeled 33rd-percentile fill-in, never a guess. Programs without a published NCLEX rate, and direct-entry master’s programs, are not ranked. Every formula and source →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best nursing school in Tennessee?
Under the NurseSavvy ranking, Austin Peay State University (Bachelor Degree, Clarksville) ranks #1 of 56 RN programs in Tennessee with a score of 75 out of 100 and a 97.2% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. "Best" depends on what you weigh most — re-rank the list on this page by your own priorities.
How did NurseSavvy rank Tennessee nursing schools?
Every RN program with a published 2025 first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate is scored 0–100 on four public measures: NCLEX pass rate (33%), students who finish (33%), cost next to local RN pay (20%), and graduates’ pay one year out (14%). Pass rates come from the Tennessee board of nursing; cost and pay from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
What does “fill-in” mean on this list?
When a program has not published a figure, we do not guess it. It is scored at the 33rd percentile of programs (same degree type) that do publish it — below typical — and labeled “fill-in” wherever it appears. Publishing its real number can only help a program that performs well.
Can a school pay to rank higher?
No. Schools cannot pay, partner, sponsor, or advertise their way to a better rank. Every input is public data, and the same formula applies to every program.
Keep going
- ReferenceHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing schoolsHow NurseSavvy ranks nursing programs: every formula, data source, and refresh rule, plus why no school can pay for placement.
- State guideNursing in TennesseeTennessee in one page: 91 nursing schools and their NCLEX pass rates, RN pay (median 81,500), NP pay, and compact-license status — each with its source.
- Pay dataNurse practitioner salary in TennesseeNurse practitioners in Tennessee earn a median of 117,590 a year (May 2025).
- Pay dataRN salary in TennesseeRegistered nurses in Tennessee earn a median of 81,500 a year (May 2025).
- GuideNursing School Dropout Rates: What a 100% NCLEX Pass Rate Can HideHow many nursing students actually finish, why a high NCLEX pass rate can hide high attrition, where programs publish completion rates, and the start-to-license number to ask every school for.
- FinderNursing school rankings you controlRank nursing programs by what matters to you — pass rate, students who finish, cost, and graduate earnings.