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🎓 College profile

East Tennessee State University

TN · Public · Small city · 9,903 applicants 2023

R2 Research
87% admit rate SAT 950–1170 $21,193/yr at $110k+ income

🧭 A parent's read

  • The payoff holds even at full price: roughly 4× over a decade. With no aid at all — the full in-state ~$27,042/yr — a decade of median earnings (~$44,859/yr) still runs about 4× the four-year cost. This payoff doesn't depend on qualifying for anything. (Out-of-state costs more.)
  • Ask the submit question deliberately. This college is test-optional — but at many such colleges, applicants who submit strong scores are admitted at meaningfully higher rates. “Optional” is a strategy decision, not a pass.

Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.

Get your child's odds at East Tennessee State University Free Family Decision Report — Reach / Match / Likely + your real net price. East Tennessee State University starts already on the list. Start →

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable for in-state families — net price averages ~$15,983/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$10,472 — major value play)
  • Students focused on Health Professions (the school's signature program)
  • Research-curious students (R2 — active research output)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 950, or ACT below 19 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
R2: Doctoral - High Research Activity
Total enrollment
10,004
10,000 - 19,999
In-state tuitionThe published full price before any aid. Families who don't qualify for need-based aid — common above ~$110K income — pay this, minus any merit scholarships.
$10,472
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$14,522
+$4,050 vs in-state
Admit rateThe share of applicants a college accepts. Useful context, but your student's odds depend on their own grades and scores, not the average.
87.1%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%The middle half of enrolled students scored in this range — a quarter scored BELOW the low end and still got in, and a quarter scored above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.
950–1170
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%The middle half of enrolled students scored in this range — a quarter scored BELOW the low end and still got in, and a quarter scored above the high end. Above the top number is a genuine strength; below the bottom isn't automatic rejection.
19–26
composite
Test policyApplicants choose whether to send SAT/ACT scores. At many such colleges, students who submit strong scores are still admitted at higher rates.
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earningsMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$44,859
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$38,704
Earnings, 10 yrs after entryMedian yearly pay of former students ten years after they STARTED here — not ten years after graduating — all majors combined. The broadest single outcome number a college reports.
$44,859
4-year completionThe share of students who finish a bachelor's in four years. Nationally barely half do — and a fifth year quietly adds a full extra year of cost to the real price.
53%
Median debt (completers)The federal-loan balance of the typical graduating borrower. Families who pay cash aren't counted, so read it as "among those who borrowed."
$19,442

💰 The real cost

What families at your income actually pay

Above $110K income — where most Reach families sit — aid-receiving families average $21,193/yr at East Tennessee State University; families who don't qualify for aid pay the full ~$27,042/yr. Lower brackets pay less — the full ladder is below. One caveat, once: every bracket figure here averages only the families in that bracket who received aid — it says nothing about whether your family will qualify.

🔎 Earning over $110K? You're above the top federal bracket — the median family headed by a 45-to-54-year-old (the prime college-parent years) earned about $134K in 2024, and the federal data lumps everyone from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Whether you'll get need aidGrant money based on your family's finances (via FAFSA and the college's own forms), not your student's stats. at this income is entirely college-specific: a few heavily-endowed schools meet full need well past $150K, while many others give little above the brackets shown — there, merit scholarships, where offered, become the realistic lever.

Start your Family Decision Report →

Your odds + estimated net price across your whole college list — then confirm the exact figure with East Tennessee State University's own Net Price Calculator ↗ (10–15 min; have your tax return handy).

Family income $110k+ most Reach families
$21,193/yr
Family income $75-110k
$20,588/yr
Family income $48-75k
$16,400/yr
Family income $30-48k
$14,289/yr
Family income $0-30k
$12,433/yr

📈 The payoffTen years of typical earnings divided by four years of cost. A 3× means a decade of median pay covers the cost three times over — check both the full-price and with-aid versions to see which applies to you., both ways

4.1× at full price 7.0× with aid
Full price, no aidThe all-in yearly price — tuition, housing, food, books, fees — before any aid. This is the real "full price," not just the tuition line. (4 yrs, in-state)
$108,168
~$27,042/yr all-in (out-of-state runs higher)
Aid recipients pay (4 yrs)
$63,932
$15,983/yr average
10-yr earnings total
$448,590
$44,859/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup the cost
2.4 yrs
at full price (1.4 with aid), at the median earnings rate

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41–NPT45; Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates; suppressed brackets = small cohorts; the $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — the brackets haven't been refreshed since the early 2010s). Payoff multiple = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (4-yr cost); full price is the published cost of attendance, largely in-state for publics; earnings are 10 years after enrollment, all majors combined.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at East Tennessee State University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what East Tennessee State University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions
874 degrees · 57.7%
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
296 degrees · 19.6%
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Psychology
135 degrees · 8.9%
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness
107 degrees · 7.1%
Coaching, athletic training, public-sector recreation, fitness industry.
5. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
102 degrees · 6.7%
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

💼 What those majors earn here

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major — East Tennessee State University's own graduates, not national averages.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. Bachelor's Degree 8 — $106,593
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 91 $52,008 $82,073
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General. Bachelor's Degree 52 $56,551 $75,298
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. Bachelor's Degree 502 $64,459 $74,311
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. Bachelor's Degree 29 $51,316 $65,649
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. Bachelor's Degree 56 $48,671 $62,853
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. Bachelor's Degree 67 $27,196 $60,298
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 72 $35,632 $58,583
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 59 $39,936 $58,232
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 50 $44,834 $57,642

Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only) · College Scorecard program-level outcomes (PP-FOS). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →

📈 Student body & economic mobility

Who attends here — and what the campus adds.

Opportunity Insights data. Why it matters even if you're full-pay: a high mobility rate means the campus itself confers earnings power — the outcomes aren't just selection effects.

Top-1% access
0.6%
from top-1% households
Mobility rateThe share of ALL students who arrived from the bottom 20% of family incomes AND reached the top 20% themselves by their early 30s — access and lift in one number, and a sign the campus itself adds earnings power.
1.5%
bottom 20% → top 20% by age 32
Upward rate
14.5%
of lower-income students who reach the top 20%
Pell recipientsStudents receiving federal Pell grants, which go to lower- and middle-income families — the standard shorthand for a college's economic mix.
35%
on federal need grants — context for these numbers

Full leaderboards: /college-mobility →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at East Tennessee State University

CS degrees (annual)
90
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

Alternatives to East Tennessee State University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools publish merit scholarships your family can plan around — your kid’s stats could unlock real scholarship dollars.
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
30 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
University of Mississippi
MS · Public
14 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
University of Louisville
KY · Public
13 stats-based + 6 competitive scholarships
💰 Lower full price
Similar selectivity, but a meaningfully lower full sticker price — the comparison that matters most for families who won't qualify for much need-based aid.
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr full price (in-state) · $17,874 less before aid
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$11,837/yr full price (in-state) · $15,205 less before aid
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
GA · Public
$13,956/yr full price (in-state) · $13,086 less before aid
🚀 Stronger campus value-add
Per Opportunity Insights, these campuses add more earnings power to the students they enroll than East Tennessee State University does — a quality signal, not a cost play.
CUNY Lehman College
NY · Public
10.2% mobility rate (vs 1.5% here)
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
NY · Public
9.7% mobility rate (vs 1.5% here)
Pace University
NY · Private nonprofit
8.4% mobility rate (vs 1.5% here)

⚖️ Or compare any college side-by-side

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