Instructor Salary at Tennessee Colleges
The 2025 average instructor salary at Tennessee colleges is $52,346 based on a 9-months contract or equated data. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville has the highest instructor salary of $72,787 among Tennessee colleges followed by Rhodes College ($72,449) and Belmont University ($71,756).
The following table lists the Tennessee colleges with instructor salary information by contract length where the salary data is available. The table is sorted by faculty salary in descending order.
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| School name | Equated to 9-Month Contract | 9-Month Contract | 10-Month Contract | 11-Month Contract | 12-Month Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN | $72,787 1.54% | $74,329 1.79% | - | - | $91,069 1.85% |
| Rhodes CollegeMemphis, TN | $72,449 22.34% | $72,449 22.34% | - | - | - |
| Belmont UniversityNashville, TN | $71,756 3.83% | - | $80,152 4.07% | - | $89,753 1.82% |
| Nossi College of Art and DesignNashville, TN | $71,250 26.67% | - | - | - | $95,000 26.67% |
| South CollegeKnoxville, TN | $69,052 3.74% | - | - | - | $92,070 3.74% |
| Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN | $67,947 1.17% | $62,710 2.47% | - | - | $91,344 1.23% |
| The University of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphis, TN | $66,422 2.38% | - | - | - | $88,563 2.58% |
| Herzing University-NashvilleNashville, TN | $63,750 - | - | - | - | $85,000 - |
| East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, TN | $63,682 0.73% | $59,734 2.87% | - | - | $88,419 2.91% |
| Lincoln Memorial UniversityHarrogate, TN | $61,611 11.98% | - | $58,208 0.34% | - | $89,175 1.34% |
| The University of the SouthSewanee, TN | $60,801 5.54% | $60,801 5.54% | - | - | - |
| Galen Health Institutes-Nashville CampusNashville, TN | $60,301 0.52% | - | - | - | $80,402 0.52% |
| Maryville CollegeMaryville, TN | $58,992 22.48% | - | $65,547 22.49% | - | - |
| Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, TN | $58,860 1.16% | $58,860 1.16% | - | - | - |
| University of MemphisMemphis, TN | $58,596 2.70% | $62,122 3.10% | - | - | $65,532 2.92% |
| Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, TN | $57,434 5.57% | $57,434 5.57% | - | - | - |
| Freed-Hardeman UniversityHenderson, TN | $57,192 1.67% | $57,192 1.67% | - | - | - |
| Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, TN | $56,796 1.37% | $56,796 1.37% | - | - | - |
| The University of Tennessee SouthernPulaski, TN | $55,723 2.36% | $55,277 2.51% | - | - | $77,563 2.02% |
| Lipscomb UniversityNashville, TN | $55,065 10.12% | - | $62,171 12.93% | - | $67,491 4.52% |
| The University of Tennessee-MartinMartin, TN | $54,907 8.42% | $57,493 0.35% | - | - | $66,316 32.12% |
| Baptist Health Sciences UniversityMemphis, TN | $52,559 5.61% | - | - | - | $70,079 |
| The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN | $50,792 12.71% | $50,792 3.71% | - | - | - |
| Union UniversityJackson, TN | $50,000 | $50,000 | - | - | - |
| Tennessee State UniversityNashville, TN | $47,443 13.20% | $60,664 13.15% | - | - | $53,856 3.90% |
| Southern Adventist UniversityCollegedale, TN | $45,660 6.67% | - | - | - | $60,880 6.67% |
| Bryan College-DaytonDayton, TN | $44,130 6.11% | - | $49,033 | - | - |
| Trevecca Nazarene UniversityNashville, TN | $43,983 35.78% | - | - | - | $58,644 35.78% |
| Johnson UniversityKnoxville, TN | $43,343 2.93% | - | - | - | $57,791 2.93% |
| Miller-Motte College-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN | $43,124 18.52% | $56,160 | - | $70,000 75.00% | $54,439 11.42% |
| Cumberland UniversityLebanon, TN | $43,088 12.31% | $50,325 8.02% | $57,000 | - | $46,331 0.12% |
| Le Moyne-Owen CollegeMemphis, TN | $42,247 1.72% | $50,000 13.95% | - | - | $45,992 - |
| Lane CollegeJackson, TN | $42,000 10.87% | $42,000 - | - | - | - |
| Christian Brothers UniversityMemphis, TN | $41,699 2.95% | - | - | - | $55,598 1.14% |
| King UniversityBristol, TN | $40,950 10.30% | - | - | - | $54,600 10.30% |
| Welch CollegeGallatin, TN | $40,615 0.58% | $41,971 0.57% | $55,853 0.51% | $49,398 0.60% | $43,335 0.64% |
| Tusculum UniversityGreeneville, TN | $40,500 48.76% | - | $45,000 48.76% | - | - |
| SAE Institute of Technology-NashvilleNashville, TN | $40,442 - | - | - | - | $53,923 - |
| Milligan UniversityMilligan, TN | $34,920 8.62% | $34,920 8.62% | - | - | - |
| Carson-Newman UniversityJefferson City, TN | $32,500 | $32,500 | - | - | - |
| Fisk UniversityNashville, TN | $32,310 12.28% | - | $35,900 12.28% | - | - |
| Bethel UniversityMcKenzie, TN | $30,857 74.33% | - | - | - | $41,143 74.33% |