East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee · Public · 86.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 35/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
East Tennessee State University earns a 35 ROI score (Below Benchmark), held back by a 20.7-year payback period and modest earnings outcomes. In-state tuition is $10,472 with average net price of $15,983 and total four-year cost around $63,932 - reasonable on the cost side. The challenge is the labor market: earnings of $32,700 at six years grow to $44,859 at ten in the largely rural Tri-Cities economy, against $19,442 median debt and a 0.595 debt-to-earnings ratio. Earnings premium of 0.154 (sub-score 29) is the structural weakness - Appalachian and rural northeast Tennessee wages are simply lower. Completion sits at 53.2% and three-year repayment at 66.4%. ETSU has real strengths in nursing (588 graduates per cohort), pharmacy, and computer/information sciences; the headline number reflects a heavy concentration in lower-wage majors like kinesiology, psychology, biology, and various humanities. For students entering with healthcare or technical career intent, the math is much better than the institutional score suggests.
How East Tennessee State University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score35/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period20.7 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
East Tennessee State University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $10,472/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $14,522/yr |
| Average net price | $15,983/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $63,932 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,859 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $32,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $19,442 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $206 |
| Estimated payback period | 20.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 53.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 10,004 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $10,472/year ($14,522/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $15,983/year, or roughly $63,932 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $12,433/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $21,193/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $19,442, which works out to about $206 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($32,700) and comes to 0.59, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $12,433 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,289 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $16,400 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,588 |
| $110,001+ | $21,193 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families at $0-$30,000 pay $12,433 net; $30,001-$48,000 pay $14,289. Total four-year cost lands $50K-$57K. Tennessee's HOPE Scholarship and Pell stack here; many students borrow well below the $19K median. The 20.7-year payback is a real concern, but at this price level the absolute debt is modest, so the worst-case loss is contained.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
$48,001-$75,000 households pay $16,400 and $75,001-$110,000 pay $20,588. Total four-year cost ranges $66K-$82K. For middle-income Tennessee families, ETSU is genuinely affordable. The math works for nursing, pharmacy, dental, accounting, and CS majors; it gets uncomfortable for liberal-arts and humanities tracks where earnings outcomes don't recoup even modest debt loads quickly.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $21,193 (~$85K over four years). Bracket pricing rises smoothly through all five tiers (no inversions). Higher-income students typically choose ETSU for fit, location, or healthcare-program access rather than headline ROI.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at East Tennessee State University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $74,311 | B |
| Psychology | $42,358 | C |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $55,719 | C+ |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $47,821 | D |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $44,738 | D |
| Biology | $57,167 | D |
| Marketing | $58,583 | C |
| Health Professions, Residency Programs | $60,298 | D |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $82,073 | C+ |
| Teacher Education | $43,687 | B |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is the institutional anchor: 588 graduates per cohort with a B grade. First-year earnings of $64,459 grow to $74,311 by year four against $25,091 median debt (0.389 ratio). The Quillen College of Medicine's clinical infrastructure plus regional hospital systems (Ballad Health, Mountain States) give graduates strong placement. This is the clearest high-confidence ROI path at ETSU and partly carries the institutional median.
Computer and Information Sciences
CIS posts 78 graduates with a C+ grade. First-year earnings of $52,008 climb to $82,073 by year four against $24,669 debt (0.474 first-year ratio). Year-four earnings are strong, suggesting graduates either advance quickly within Tri-Cities employers or relocate to Knoxville/Nashville/Atlanta tech markets. Solid ROI for prepared students.
Psychology
Psychology pulls 140 graduates with a C grade. First-year earnings of $26,403 rising to $42,358 by year four against $17,976 debt (0.681 ratio). Modest debt keeps this from D territory, but the credential under-earns the cost. As at most schools, students should plan a graduate pathway before borrowing.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business management is a large cohort (126 graduates) with a C+ grade. First-year earnings of $37,041 climb to $55,719 by year four against $19,725 debt (0.533 ratio). The Tri-Cities economy supports business graduates reasonably well; this is a mid-quality but defensible path.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology pulls 108 graduates with a D grade. First-year earnings of $25,768 against $22,036 debt produces a 0.855 ratio. As at most schools, this program functions as a feeder to PT, OT, or chiropractic graduate work; as a terminal degree it consistently under-earns the cost. Students should be honest about their graduate-school plans before committing.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 62.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 66.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 57.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 63.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How East Tennessee State University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 86.2% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 470-580 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 510-620 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 19-26 |
| Enrollment | 10,004 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 34.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,574 |
ETSU admits 86.2% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 470-580 math and 510-620 reading; ACT composite is 19-26. The 53.2% completion rate is consistent with a school that admits a wide preparation range. Students arriving with clear majors and reasonable preparation finish at materially higher rates than the headline number.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State University (this school) | 35 | $15,983 | $44,859 |
| Idaho State University | 38 | $12,193 | $45,608 |
| Austin Peay State University | 36 | $9,735 | $44,301 |
| Morgan State University | 34 | $14,985 | $50,698 |
| Arkansas State University | 33 | $12,366 | $42,617 |
| The University of Tennessee Southern | 16 | $12,798 | $38,924 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See East Tennessee State University side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
ETSU fits Tri-Cities and Northeast Tennessee in-state students - many first-generation and Pell-eligible (34.8% Pell rate). Enrollment of 10,004 makes it a substantial mid-sized regional university. Strong outcomes cluster in nursing, pharmacy, dental support services, computer/information sciences, accounting, and teacher education. Students drawn to fine arts (F grade), graphic design (F), psychology (140 grads), kinesiology (108 grads), or biology (91 grads) face structurally weaker outcomes.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, East Tennessee State University scores 35/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $15,983 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,859 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 20.7 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a three-year loan repayment rate of 66.4% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $19,442 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $32,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.59, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
East Tennessee State University: Common Questions
Is East Tennessee State University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. East Tennessee State University scores 35/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $15,983 a year after aid against $44,859 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 20.7 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does East Tennessee State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $15,983 a year, or roughly $63,932 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do East Tennessee State University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,859 ten years after enrolling, roughly $3,059 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off East Tennessee State University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 20.7 years for East Tennessee State University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do East Tennessee State University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $19,442, against average earnings of $32,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.59. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at East Tennessee State University?
The six-year graduation rate is 53.2%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.