Public · University

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, Tennessee · Small city

86.2%
Admit rate
$15,983
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$44,859
Median earnings

East Tennessee State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Johnson City, Tennessee (small city setting), enrolling 10,004 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 10,004 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 86% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southern ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against East Tennessee State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
980–1200
Avg GPA (est.)
3.28

Enter a test score to see where you land against East Tennessee State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and East Tennessee State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. William Bean, traditionally recognized as Tennessee's first white settler, built his cabin along Boone's Creek near Johnson City in 1769. In the 1780s, Colonel John Tipton established a farm (now the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site) just outside what is now Johnson City. Public art includes 12 to 15 sculptures that change every two years. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
267 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA (TRI)

How East Tennessee State University compares

Selectivity86.2%

More selective than 33% · #28 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1144

Higher than 43%

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 46% · #19 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention76%

Higher than 48%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,859

Higher than 24% · #28 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$15,983

Cheaper than 68% · #19 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$19,442

Lower than 79%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment10,004

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare East Tennessee State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Tennessee.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

12,903students
  • Undergraduate10,00478%
  • Graduate2,89922%

Undergraduates by gender

10,004undergrads
  • Women5,83658%
  • Men4,16842%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White72%
  • Black5.9%
  • Hispanic4.5%
  • Asian2.3%
  • Other or multiracial16%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
10,004
Graduate enrollment
2,899
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$33,885
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$77,166
Endowment
$119,127,440

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,141 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee78%
  • Other U.S. states20%
  • International1.2%

Most first-years stay in state — East Tennessee State University draws overwhelmingly from Tennessee.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
86.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
980–1200
SAT average
1144
SAT reading
510–620
SAT math
470–580
ACT composite
19–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.28

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,472
Out-of-state tuition
$14,522
Room & board
$10,554
Books & supplies
$1,350
Total cost of attendance
$27,042
Average net price
$15,983

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
53%
Graduated on time (4 years)
40%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,704
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,859
Median debt at graduation
$19,442
Students with federal loans
34%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
46%

About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
40%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
47%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,072
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
31%
Housing charge (year)
$4,832
Meal plan (year)
$4,660
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southern Conference
Varsity athletes
476 (244 men · 232 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Football107
Track and Field (Outdoor)77
Soccer55
Track and Field (Indoor)49
Cross Country42
Baseball35
Softball31
Basketball28
Volleyball15
Tennis14
Golf13
Other Sports10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
29
Property offenses (2022–2024)
25

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 9 campuses (13,728 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

18reported offenses a year
9.7 violent a year8.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
7.7
Fondling
4.7
Rape
3.7
Robbery
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$12,433
$30–48k
$14,289
$48–75k
$16,400
$75–110k
$20,588
$110k+
$21,193

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$71,851

$16,400/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

50%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,218
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 50% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,218. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,007 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$44,859
Typical debt at graduation
$19,442
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$42,785
Men
$48,190

Men out-earn women by $5,405 (13%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
26°F
Annual rain
48″
Annual snow
6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Elizabethton, TN US station (7.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to East Tennessee State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare East Tennessee State University side by side →

Colleges near East Tennessee State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.