Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville

Knoxville, TN · 10 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$371,498 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.

Modeled economic break-even
−143%Modeled 10-year ROI
$33,855Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$371,498at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$260,0480
2
4
6
8
−$371,49810
Years after graduationBreak-even: years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuitionNot available
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuitionNot available
Sticker price
Average net price$20,012
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$23,962
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor
Council on Occupational Education
Main award level
Certificates
Campus setting
City
Admissions
Open admission
Delivery
Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation
No special designation reported
Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$20,012Average net price / year
$23,962Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$33,855Median earnings · year 5 after completion
71.2%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
887Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$19,783
$30–48k$20,938
$48–75k$19,426
$75–110k$22,729
$110k+Not available
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$33,855
Year 6$31,891
Year 10$37,235
Full-time retention
66.1%
Part-time retention
100.0%
Completion within 200% of normal time
70.8%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

27thEarnings percentile
69thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$43,548Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$10,639Median federal debt across categories that report debt
40%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$32,194Year 1
$42,517Year 4
$33,855Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$64,3662Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$56,4683Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$54,4194Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$53,4175Precision Metal Working · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$50,6056Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$43,5487Electrical and Power Transmission Installers · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$38,5058Health and Medical Administrative Services · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$28,950

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

Strongest relative outcomes

Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark

This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential—not simply majors that pay more everywhere.

1Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $53,417 reported+11%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $56,468 reported+9%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Precision Metal WorkingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $50,605 reported+4%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $64,366 reported+3%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $54,419 reported-3%vs same-degree national median$10,639federal debt6Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $25,165 reported-4%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in TN

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Memphis, TN

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Memphis

Annual net price
$14,315
Observed earnings · year 5
$33,816
Modeled 10-year ROI
-147%
Open college profile →
Huntsville, TN

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Oneida-Huntsville

Annual net price
$15,875
Observed earnings · year 5
$36,700
Modeled 10-year ROI
-134%
Open college profile →
Morristown, TN

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown

Annual net price
$15,910
Observed earnings · year 5
$38,152
Modeled 10-year ROI
-128%
Open college profile →
Livingston, TN

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Livingston

Annual net price
$12,612
Observed earnings · year 5
$35,468
Modeled 10-year ROI
-141%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt2023–24 awards
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$64,366Not available16
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$56,468Not available23
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$54,419$10,63985
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$53,417Not available42
Precision Metal WorkingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$50,605Not available98
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$43,548Not available32
Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$38,505Not available28
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$28,950Not availableNot reported
Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$26,112Not available8
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$25,165Not available36

Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.