Tennessee · Public · Predominantly bachelor's

The University of Tennessee Southern

Pulaski, Tennessee. 827 undergraduate students. 34 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.

ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at The University of Tennessee Southern

Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.

PEER OUTLIER · WARNING-20%

Public bachelor's-predominant peer

10-year earnings at The University of Tennessee Southern are 20% below the public bachelor's-predominant peer median ($38.9k vs $48.5k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER-100%

3-year cohort default rate

3-year cohort default rate at The University of Tennessee Southern fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (4.7% → 0.0%).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER+41%

First-year retention

First-year retention at The University of Tennessee Southern rose 41% between 2021 and 2024 (54.6% → 77.2%).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER+17%

Undergraduate enrollment

Undergraduate enrollment at The University of Tennessee Southern rose 17% between 2021 and 2024 (741 → 864).

SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT

The numbers, vs. Tennessee

Each tile compares this institution to the Tennessee median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$38,924+8% · 6→10y
Tennessee median $38,880
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$36,151
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
35.7%+28% · '97→'24
Tennessee median 57.6%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$11,175+620% · '97→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
827+72% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
64.3%+29% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
82.7%+106% · '08→'24
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$10,506+10% · '00→'24
out-of-state $10,506
SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS

How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry

Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS

What loans cost relative to earnings

Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.

Institution-wide

3.8%
0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $11,175 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $38,924 (10y after entry).

SECTION 04 · LONG ARC

Ten-plus year arc

Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.

UNDERGRAD · 19962024864
1,14450319962024
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 1997202436.9%
86%14%19972024
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020$21,500
$24,920$2,81319972020
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
COMPLETION · 150% · 19972024+28%

The University of Tennessee Southern · completion · 150% rose

28.7% → 36.9%

COMPLETION · 100% · 19982024+651%

The University of Tennessee Southern · completion · 100% rose

3.5% → 26.2%

RETENTION · 20042024+29%

The University of Tennessee Southern · retention rose

60.0% → 77.2%

UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT · 19962024+72%

The University of Tennessee Southern · undergrad enrollment rose

503 → 864

MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020+620%

The University of Tennessee Southern · median debt rose

$2,988 → $21,500

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 20112024-100%

The University of Tennessee Southern · cohort default rate fell

26.6% → 0.0%

PELL SHARE · 20082024-21%

The University of Tennessee Southern · pell share fell

45.9% → 36.3%

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_8YR · 20052020+27%

The University of Tennessee Southern · earnings_median_8yr rose

$30,400 → $38,711

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 20032020+25%

The University of Tennessee Southern · earnings_median_6yr rose

$29,000 → $36,151

SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS

Ranked by 5-year earnings

Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.

SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY

1 programs with earnings, grouped

Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.

HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at The University of Tennessee Southern

Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.

Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.

NET PRESENT VALUE
$469,973
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 8
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
graduationbreakeven · year 8year 0year 39
Cost per year
$15,701
HS-only baseline · TN
$34,600
Years to complete
4
CIP family
51

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

CAUSAL DISCIPLINE

The University of Tennessee Southern graduates earn $X” — not “The University of Tennessee Southern makes you earn $X”

Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending The University of Tennessee Southern caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.

Methodology →