Quad

Head-to-head

Eastern Kentucky
Tennessee State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Eastern Kentucky's grants cover 44% of its full price on average, vs. 18% at Tennessee State

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Eastern Kentucky costs about $14.5K less per year on average than Tennessee State ($14,330 vs. $28,852, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    Eastern Kentucky has 2.5× as many undergrads as Tennessee State

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    Eastern Kentucky graduates 12 pts more of its students than Tennessee State (51% vs. 39%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Tennessee State has 10 pts more Pell recipients than Eastern Kentucky (51% vs. 41%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Eastern Kentucky is more diverse (index 0.35 vs. 0.27)

    Diversity index

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Tennessee State admits 70%, Eastern Kentucky 78%; Eastern Kentucky's yield is higher, at 20%.

Acceptance rate
Eastern Kentucky78%
Tennessee State70%
Quad's selectivity
  • Eastern KentuckyOpen
  • Tennessee StateOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 800–1600
Eastern Kentucky
880–1080
Tennessee State
880–1050
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Eastern KentuckyGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • Tennessee StateGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Eastern Kentucky has 2.5× as many undergrads as Tennessee State; Tennessee State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Eastern Kentucky12.3K
Tennessee State4.8K
Pell Grant share
Eastern Kentucky41%
Tennessee State51%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at Eastern Kentucky, and Business Administration and Management at Tennessee State.

Students per faculty member
Eastern Kentucky17 to 1
Tennessee State13 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Eastern KentuckyPsychology, General11%
  • Tennessee StateBusiness Administration and Management, General12%

What each costs

Eastern Kentucky costs about $14.5K less a year than Tennessee State on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Eastern Kentucky$14.3K
Tennessee State$28.9K
Aid generosity
Eastern Kentucky44%
Tennessee State18%

What each pays off

Eastern Kentucky's former students earn more, a median $45.8K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 51% at Eastern Kentucky to 39% at Tennessee State.

Median earnings, 10 years
Eastern Kentucky$45.8K
Tennessee State$42.7K
Graduation rate
Eastern Kentucky51%
Tennessee State39%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Eastern Kentucky, which got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Eastern KentuckyGrowing+74%
  • Tennessee StateNot reported
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why