Public · University

The University of Tennessee Southern

Pulaski, Tennessee · Distant town

86.7%
Admit rate
$12,798
Avg net price
37%
Graduation rate
$38,924
Median earnings

The University of Tennessee Southern is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Pulaski, Tennessee (distant town setting), enrolling 864 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 864 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 87% admitNAIA Division ICold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against The University of Tennessee Southern's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
905–1110
Avg GPA (est.)
3.11

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

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

About Pulaski, Tennessee

Pulaski is a city in Giles County and the county seat of Giles County, which is located on the central-southern border of Tennessee, United States. Pulaski was founded in 1809. During the Civil War, after the Union took control of Tennessee in 1862, thousands of African Americans left plantations and farms to join their lines for refuge. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
314 miles
Nearest airport
42 miles to Huntsville (HSV)

How The University of Tennessee Southern compares

Selectivity86.7%

More selective than 31% · #30 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1083

Higher than 23%

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 19% · #35 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention77%

Higher than 53%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,924

Higher than 12% · #38 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$12,798

Cheaper than 81% · #12 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment864

Larger than 33%

Percentiles compare The University of Tennessee Southern 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

898students
  • Undergraduate86496%
  • Graduate344%

Undergraduates by gender

864undergrads
  • Women54663%
  • Men31837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White75%
  • Black5.3%
  • Hispanic5.9%
  • Asian0.7%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
864
Graduate enrollment
34
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$29,930
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$60,255
Endowment
$1,048,784

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 185 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee87%
  • Other U.S. states13%

Most first-years stay in state — The University of Tennessee Southern draws overwhelmingly from Tennessee.

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
86.7%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
905–1110
SAT average
1083
SAT reading
435–555
SAT math
470–555
ACT composite
18–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.11

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,924
Room & board
$8,300
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$24,750
Average net price
$12,798

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)
37%
Graduated on time (4 years)
26%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
31%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,151
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,924
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Students with federal loans
27%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
37%

About 11% 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
26%
Low-income (Pell)
30%
First-generation
30%

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
390
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
45%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
333 (174 men · 159 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)

Soccer89
Baseball42
Basketball28
Softball27
Track and Field (Outdoor)27
Cross Country24
Golf22
Tennis21
Swimming20
Other Sports17
Volleyball16

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)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,046 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.

1.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3
Burglary
0.3

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
$9,335
$30–48k
$12,071
$48–75k
$15,343
$75–110k
$17,336
$110k+
$17,135

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
$68,046

$15,343/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.

89%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,717
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 89% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,717. 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 207 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)
$38,924
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
55%
Out-earn a HS grad
49%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.5 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
$35,674
Men
$44,202

Men out-earn women by $8,528 (24%) 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
88°F
Winter low
25°F
Annual rain
58.6″
Annual snow
1.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.16.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pulaski Wwtp, TN US station (1.2 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 The University of Tennessee Southern

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

Colleges near The University of Tennessee Southern

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.