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Best Financial Planning Schools Near Chattanooga, TN (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Chattanooga, Tennessee is home to about 182,832 residents. Median household income is $61,028 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area, the top-earning financial planning-related role is Financial Managers at a median $151,530 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Financial Planning Schools to Chattanooga
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer financial planning programs near Chattanooga, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Chattanooga city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Chattanooga.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Chattanooga is part of the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area (BLS area code 16860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Personal Financial Advisors
$75,300
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$82,295
Financial Managers
$151,530
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$165,607
Financial and Investment Analysts
$90,320
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$98,710
Accountants and Auditors
$76,680
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$83,803
Financial Examiners
$87,110
TN statewide
$95,202
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
$50,480
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$55,169
Loan Officers
$62,460
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$68,262
Credit Counselors
$38,840
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$42,448
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Chattanooga at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
182,832
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$61,028
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
35.5%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
91.5 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Chattanooga-Area Cities With Financial Planning Programs
What are the highest-paying financial planning roles near Chattanooga?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying financial planning-related roles near Chattanooga are: Financial Managers ($151,530), Financial and Investment Analysts ($90,320), Financial Examiners ($87,110). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in East Ridge instead of Chattanooga?
East Ridge, TN is 4.9 miles from Chattanooga and has its own set of local financial planning programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Chattanooga an affordable place to study financial planning?
Chattanooga’s median household income of $61,028 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chattanooga while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 7, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
