COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · COOKEVILLE, TN

Is Tennessee Technological University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Tennessee Technological University degree clears +$1.37M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Cookeville, Tennessee, priced as a Tennessee resident — earnings rolled up from 33 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Tennessee Technological University · Cookeville, TN

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.37M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$1.03M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$53,243
Breaks even by age
45
Annual tuition · Tennessee resident
$10,084
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$20,116
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$82,344
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$122,472
FREOPP program coverage
33 programs

The out-of-state tax in Tennessee, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Tennessee Technological University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Tennessee’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 33 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Tennessee Technological University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Tennessee Technological University clears +$1.37M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $82,344 and median earnings of $53,243 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Tennessee Technological University?
Tennessee Technological University's annual sticker tuition is $10,084 for Tennessee residents and $20,116 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $82,344 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Tennessee Technological University?
Over 4 years, Tennessee Technological University's sticker cost of attendance is $82,344 at resident pricing, or $122,472 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Tennessee prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $53,243.
What is out-of-state tuition at Tennessee Technological University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Tennessee Technological University is $20,116, versus $10,084 for Tennessee residents — a premium of $10,032 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Tennessee Technological University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Tennessee Technological University degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 45 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$1.37M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Tennessee Technological University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Tennessee Technological University as a Tennessee resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$1.03M, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Tennessee). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Tennessee Technological University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/tennessee-technological-university