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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 50 miles to Asheville, NC
- To the ocean
- 267 miles
- Nearest airport
- 12 miles to Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA (TRI)
How East Tennessee State University compares
More selective than 33% · #28 most selective of 37 in Tennessee
Higher than 43%
Higher than 46% · #19 of 43 in Tennessee
Higher than 48%
Higher than 24% · #28 of 43 in Tennessee
Cheaper than 68% · #19 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee
Lower than 79%
Lower than 35%
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
- Undergraduate10,00478%
- Graduate2,89922%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Elizabethton, TN US station (7.5 mi from campus).
What East Tennessee State University graduates study — and earn
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 →
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas · Small city · 25 mi to Little Rock
- Students
- 7,762
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1118
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $46k
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina · Distant town · 41 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 10,024
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1157
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $49k
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, Ohio · Small city · < 1 mi to Youngstown
- Students
- 7,961
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $42k
Missouri State University-Springfield
Springfield, Missouri · Midsize city · 1 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 13,313
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1122
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $50k
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee · Midsize city · 1 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 10,074
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1147
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $51k
Coastal Carolina University
Conway, South Carolina · Small city · 10 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 10,377
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1143
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near East Tennessee State University
TC Beauty
Johnson City, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 100 students
Milligan University
Milligan, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 818 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Johnson City
Johnson City, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 87 students
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton
Elizabethton, TN · Public · Certificate · 546 students
Northeast State Community College
Blountville, TN · Public · Associate · 4,404 students
King University
Bristol, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 908 students
Tusculum University
Greeneville, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 785 students
Lees-McRae College
Banner Elk, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 873 students
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.













