Public · University

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, Tennessee · Remote town

76.1%
Admit rate
$14,246
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$48,501
Median earnings

Tennessee Technological University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Cookeville, Tennessee (remote town setting), enrolling 8,698 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 8,698 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 76% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Ohio Valley ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
76.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1048–1310
Avg GPA (est.)
3.32

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

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

About Cookeville, Tennessee

Cookeville is the county seat of and the largest city in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The Cherokee used the region as hunting grounds. Cherokee claims to the land in the Cumberland Plateau ended after the Treaty of Tellico was signed in October 1805. As of June 30, 2020, 16 commercial banks and four credit unions operated in the city, with combined deposits over $2.5 billion. Total retail sales in Cookeville for 2016 were $1.6 billion. Putnam County's unemployment rate was 3.0% as of May 2017, down from 3.7% in April. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
365 miles
Nearest airport
66 miles to Nashville (BNA) · major hub

How Tennessee Technological University compares

Selectivity76.1%

More selective than 52% · #25 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1151

Higher than 47%

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 57% · #13 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention78%

Higher than 56%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,501

Higher than 34% · #20 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$14,246

Cheaper than 76% · #14 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$15,650

Lower than 89%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment8,698

Larger than 87%

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

Tennessee Technological University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

10,022students
  • Undergraduate8,69887%
  • Graduate1,32413%

Undergraduates by gender

8,698undergrads
  • Women4,35650%
  • Men4,34250%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black4.2%
  • Hispanic6.0%
  • Asian2.5%
  • Other or multiracial7.7%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,698
Graduate enrollment
1,324
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$40,770
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$84,843
Endowment
$105,785,212

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 1,988 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee92%
  • Other U.S. states5.9%
  • International1.7%

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

2% 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
76.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1048–1310
SAT average
1151
SAT reading
528–650
SAT math
520–660
ACT composite
20–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.32

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,376
Out-of-state tuition
$15,576
Room & board
$13,302
Books & supplies
$1,280
Total cost of attendance
$25,663
Average net price
$14,246

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)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
20%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,759
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$48,501
Median debt at graduation
$15,650
Students with federal loans
33%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
60%

About 17% 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
41%
Low-income (Pell)
55%
First-generation
53%

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
2,509
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
29%
Housing charge (year)
$6,168
Meal plan (year)
$6,108
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Ohio Valley Conference
Varsity athletes
370 (198 men · 172 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 (11)

Football111
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)68
Baseball39
Basketball31
Softball27
Soccer25
Golf17
Volleyball16
Beach Volleyball15
Tennis13
Cross Country8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
24
Property offenses (2022–2024)
43

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (10,511 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.

22reported offenses a year
8.0 violent a year14 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
13
Rape
4.0
Aggravated assault
2.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Fondling
1.3

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
$9,815
$30–48k
$10,445
$48–75k
$13,861
$75–110k
$17,245
$110k+
$18,936

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
$61,418

$13,861/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.

70%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,415
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 70% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,415. 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 2,047 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)
$48,501
Typical debt at graduation
$15,650
Debt vs. one year's pay
32%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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
$43,376
Men
$58,363

Men out-earn women by $14,987 (35%) 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
87°F
Winter low
27°F
Annual rain
60″
Annual snow
6.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.06.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cookeville, TN US station (4.6 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 Tennessee Technological University

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

Colleges near Tennessee Technological 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.