Community college transfer in Tennessee
A complete guide to how to transfer from a community college to a university in Tennessee — including the state's 13 accredited community colleges, the major receiving universities, and the statewide articulation programs that govern credit transfer.
How transfer works in Tennessee
Two-year colleges in Tennessee serve as the primary on-ramp to a bachelor's degree for tens of thousands of in-state residents each year. The state's 13 accredited community colleges enroll a median of 4,576 students each, charge an average of $4,176 per year for in-state residents, and transfer roughly 34% of incoming degree-seeking students into a four-year institution within six years.
Like most U.S. states, Tennessee coordinates community-college-to-university transfers through a combination of statewide articulation agreements, common course-numbering schemes, and institution-specific transfer pathways. A student who completes the state's transfer-oriented associate degree — typically an AA or AS bearing a "transfer" or "university parallel" designation — usually receives junior standing at the receiving public university, with all general-education requirements considered satisfied.
Statewide articulation programs in Tennessee
Several formal agreements govern how credits move between Tennessee community colleges and the state's four-year institutions. Understanding which one applies to your intended major is the single most important planning step in your first semester.
Top receiving universities for Tennessee transfer students
The most common 2+2 destinations for community college students in Tennessee are the state's flagship and regional public universities. Each has a published transfer-admission policy with a minimum GPA, a credit-hour cap, and an application deadline distinct from the freshman cycle.
| University | System | Min transfer GPA | Application window |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville | University of Tennessee System | 2.5 | Mar 1 (fall) / Oct 1 (spring) |
| University of Memphis | Independent | 2 | Jul 1 (fall) |
Costs and aid in Tennessee
Community college tuition in Tennessee averages $4,176 per year for in-state residents and $12,976 for out-of-state students. Most colleges layer the federal Pell Grant — worth up to about $7,400 per year for the lowest-income students — with state need-based aid, institutional scholarships, and federal Direct Loans where required. Roughly two of every three community college students in the state receive some form of grant aid, and a substantial minority pay nothing at all out of pocket for tuition once aid is applied.
The practical playbook is the same in every Tennessee city: pick a target four-year institution before you finish your first semester at the community college, find that school's articulation agreement on the receiving registrar's website, and lock in your course selections accordingly. Skipping this step is the single most common reason transfer students lose credit on the way to the bachelor's degree — surveys regularly find that around forty percent of transfer credit is wasted nationally, almost always because the student picked courses without checking the articulation table first.
Largest community colleges in Tennessee
Pellissippi State Community College
Columbia State Community College
Jackson State Community College
Chattanooga State Community College
Southwest Tennessee Community College
Cleveland State Community College
Plan your Tennessee transfer by program area
Each program-area page below combines Tennessee's state-specific articulation rules with the typical two-year coursework for that major. Use it to confirm prerequisites and the most common receiving universities for your intended bachelor's.
- Business Administration in Tennessee
- Nursing (RN) in Tennessee
- Computer Science in Tennessee
- Information Technology in Tennessee
- Engineering Transfer in Tennessee
- Early Childhood Education in Tennessee
- Criminal Justice in Tennessee
- Psychology in Tennessee
- Biology / Pre-Health in Tennessee
- Communications & Media in Tennessee
- Liberal Arts (General Studies) in Tennessee
- Hospitality & Culinary in Tennessee
- Welding & Skilled Trades in Tennessee
- Graphic Design in Tennessee
- Paralegal Studies in Tennessee
- Environmental Science in Tennessee
- Social Work in Tennessee
- Accounting in Tennessee
Every community college in Tennessee
- Chattanooga State Community College
- Cleveland State Community College
- Columbia State Community College
- Dyersburg State Community College
- Jackson State Community College
- Motlow State Community College
- Nashville State Community College
- Northeast State Community College
- Pellissippi State Community College
- Roane State Community College
- Southwest Tennessee Community College
- Volunteer State Community College
- Walters State Community College