Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Freed-Hardeman University

Students comparing Freed-Hardeman University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

Henderson, Tennessee1,212 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 41Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Freed-Hardeman University: U.S. News ranks it #23 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1205 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #663 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 1,212 undergraduates, admits 59.7% of applicants, and posts a 70.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $25,620; aid recipients pay $21,574 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $47,485.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
59.7%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$21,574

37% below the $34,360 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$47,485

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
70.8%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$21,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
952–1087

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Freed Hardeman ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (South)#23of 135Regional univ. (South)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1205of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#663of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Freed Hardeman's position moves 63 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Freed Hardeman

Freed-Hardeman University is a private nonprofit institution in Henderson, Tennessee. Federal data show 85.9% first-year retention and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $21,574 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $34,360 sticker cost against $21,574 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Freed-Hardeman University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$25,620

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
18.0%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$8,740

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $34,360 a year, but the average family pays $21,574 — a 37% difference. 18.0% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Freed Hardeman's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    13:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    85.9%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,212

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Freed Hardeman: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $25,620 and on-campus room and board is $8,740, for a published total of $34,360 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $21,574.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 59.7%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Lees-McRae College

    Banner Elk, NCPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Lees-McRae College: U.S. News ranks it #22 on Regional Colleges (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #935 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1141 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 873 undergraduates, admits 76.8% of applicants, and posts a 42.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $33,250; aid recipients pay $28,340 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $43,415.

    Acceptance rate
    76.8%
    Average net price
    $28,340
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $43,415
    6-yr graduation rate
    42.1%
    US News · Regional colleges (South)#22 of 131Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#935 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1141 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    873 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 41 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Bob Jones University

    Greenville, SCPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Bob Jones University: U.S. News ranks it #17 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #777 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #395 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #536 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 2,005 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 64.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $24,470; aid recipients pay $16,641 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,354.

    Acceptance rate
    Not reported
    Average net price
    $16,641
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $44,354
    6-yr graduation rate
    64.8%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#17 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#777 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#395 of 500+2 more on profile

    2,005 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 41 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Transylvania University

    Lexington, KYPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Transylvania University: U.S. News ranks it #108 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #843 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #421 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #17 Lots of Greek Life. It enrolls 1,005 undergraduates, admits 86.6% of applicants, and posts a 71.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $46,870; aid recipients pay $21,913 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,705.

    Acceptance rate
    86.6%
    Average net price
    $21,913
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $54,705
    6-yr graduation rate
    71.5%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#108 of 210Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#843 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#421 of 2,605+2 more on profile

    1,005 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 41 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Freed Hardeman against these