SAE Institute
of Technology-Nashville
For-profit College in Nashville, TN. Six-year graduation rate 42%. Median 10-year earnings $39,544.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $39,544, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. 42% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates leave owing a median of $9,500 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.24 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Six-year completion sits at 42%, meaning about three in five students who enroll leave without finishing. A 11:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. Being a for-profit four-year institution is the single most useful context for these numbers — the sector's spread is wide enough that the school-level figures matter more than usual. The undergraduate body is just 1,800, which shapes everything from class size to how often a required course is offered.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,800 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $24,574 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Income makes less difference than usual: $23,154 at $0–30k, $27,402 at $110k+. 61% of students receive grant aid, averaging $6,429 — common but not automatic. Borrowing is widespread: 70% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 286 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $23,154 |
| $30–48k | $24,394 |
| $48–75k | $25,089 |
| $75–110k | $27,006 |
| $110k+ | $27,402 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,262 of these 1,800 students, totalling $9,281,124 — an average of $7,354 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Davidson County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
Heightened Cash Monitoring (Financial Responsibility); School placed on Heightened Cash Monitoring
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)