Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying in Nashville
You think about studying in Nashville but want to get additional information on student life, living costs, housing, career prospects, extracurricular activities and much more before making your final decision in this regard?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of studying in Nashville in the following chapters.
Study in Nashville – Overview
Number of Universities | About 20 universities and colleges in the Nashville region. |
Quality of Universities | While very few colleges in Nashville are really good, the majority of colleges are just average. |
Networking Opportunities | While Nashville is a big city, you will not meet as many influential people as in other more popular metropolitan areas and may have a hard time building a strong business network. |
Student Life | While student life in Nashville is decent since you can join student clubs and extracurricular activities, you should still know that Nashville is not the most exciting city for students. |
International Students | Limited number of international students in Nashville since the city is not really popular on a global scale. |
Career Prospects | While graduates from University of Nashville have decent career prospects, you should not expect the same great career opportunities compared to graduates from Harvard or other world-class schools. |
Nightlife | While there are some decent bars, nightlife in Nashville is not great compared to many other big cities in the US. |
Living Costs | Living costs in Nashville are pretty low compared to NYC or the Bay Area and students in Nashville will therefore not have the same high financial pressure as students in San Francisco or other more popular places. |
Housing | While Nashville becomes increasingly crowded and demand for housing is about to increase, people who study in Nashville still have a much easier time finding a decent place to live compared to people in L.A. or other places where housing shortage is a much bigger problem. |
Weather & Climate | You can enjoy warm summers and relatively cool winters as a student in Nashville. |

Advantages of Studying in Nashville
- Many students in Nashville find a decent place to live rather quickly
- Rents in Nashville are still lower compared to many other big cities
- Students in Nashville can benefit from relatively low living costs
- Financial pressure for students in Nashville is rather limited
- Nashville is one of the most tolerant cities in Tennessee
- Easy to make new social connections and friends in Nashville
- Decent student clubs in Nashville
- Extracurricular activities can make student life in Nashville more interesting
- Nashville is surrounded by interesting nature
- You can spend lots of time outdoors as a student in Nashville
- Many recreational spaces in Nashville
- Decent number of colleges to choose from in Nashville
- Decent quality of education in Nashville
- Decent guest professors in Nashville
- You will find many decent libraries and other quiet places to study
- Nashville is a rather relaxed student city
- Easy to get around for students in Nashville
- You will find many student jobs in Nashville
- Many big corporations to work for after graduation
- Students in Nashville can benefit from decent public infrastructure
Many students in Nashville find a decent place to live rather quickly
One advantage of studying in Nashville is that since housing shortage is not as severe as in the Bay Area or other more popular places, many students find an affordable place to stay rather quickly and don’t have to search for many months as students in San José and other popular places often have to do.
Rents in Nashville are still lower compared to many other big cities
You should also know that rents in Nashville are rather low compared to many other big metropolitan regions and this means that you can save lots of money on housing compared to people who study in Seattle or other more expensive places where housing costs are often much higher.
Students in Nashville can benefit from relatively low living costs
Not only housing costs are still moderately low, but also living costs in Nashville are lower compared to L.A. or other big cities in the US and this means that you don’t have to spend as much money on drinks or leisure activities and will have more money left to spend on other important things of daily life.
Financial pressure for students in Nashville is rather limited
Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, students in Nashville also don’t have to deal with the same high financial pressure as students in NYC or other more expensive places and while students in more expensive areas may have to worry about their finances quite a lot and may get distracted from their studies, you will have a much easier time in this regard as a student in Nashville and can really focus on your studies.
Nashville is one of the most tolerant cities in Tennessee
You should also know that Nashville is one of the most tolerant cities in Tennessee and you will therefore be welcome no matter where you come from and can just have a great time together with many other students from all over the US or even the world.
Easy to make new social connections and friends in Nashville
Since people in Nashville are open, tolerant and friendly, you will also have a rather easy time making new friends and will therefore never feel lonely as a student in Nashville since you will always have more than enough people to hang out with.
Decent student clubs in Nashville
Nashville also has many decent student clubs where you can socialize with other like-minded people of your age and can discuss what’s going on in the world and also how to make student life in Nashville as good as possible so you can really enjoy your time in this region.
Extracurricular activities can make student life in Nashville more interesting
If you not only want to study and get a fancy degree but also want to do something on the side, you can also engage in many extracurricular activities so you can do good for society and can make your student life even more interesting.
Nashville is surrounded by interesting nature
Another upside to studying in Nashville is that you will also have many lakes, forests and nature reserves surrounding the city and this gives you the opportunity to make many nice day trips and short vacations so you can recover from stressful periods of your student life in Nashville and can reload your batteries so you will be able to study even harder.
You can spend lots of time outdoors as a student in Nashville
Since students in Nashville can spend lots of time in nature, they also have an incentive to spend lots of time outdoors and this can be really beneficial for you as a student since you can get lots of fresh air and can therefore make sure that your brain works properly in the long run so you can get really good results in your exams.
Many recreational spaces in Nashville
You will also find many parks and other recreational spaces within Nashville city borders and can just sit down on a bench where you can often study in a quiet atmosphere.
Decent number of colleges to choose from in Nashville
There are also more than enough colleges in the Nashville region and you will therefore almost have freedom of choice which college you want to attend and what specialization you want to choose while you would be far more limited in this regard in smaller student towns.
Decent quality of education in Nashville
While it is hard to find world-class education in Nashville, overall education level is still solid and you will therefore have decent career prospects after graduation.
Decent guest professors in Nashville
There are also many decent guest professors in Nashville and this is great since you can get a different perspective on certain topics and can therefore expand your horizon quite a lot and may also learn a lot about various teaching techniques and styles from which you can greatly benefit in the long run.
You will find many decent libraries and other quiet places to study
Another benefit of studying in Nashville is that you will also have many libraries where you can prepare for your exams without being distracted by loud noises or annoying people so you will really be able to focus on your studies and may be able to get really good grades.
Nashville is a rather relaxed student city
You should also know that Nashville is a pretty relaxed city.
In fact, it is just not as crowded and people are not as busy as in many other bigger cities and you may therefore have an easier time getting in touch with people in general.
Easy to get around for students in Nashville
Since traffic is not a big problem in Nashville yet, students in Nashville can also get around by car in an efficient manner or may just rely on public transport or their bicycle to get from A to B.
You will find many student jobs in Nashville
Since Nashville is an important economic region, you will also find many student jobs and opportunities to work as an intern and this can be great since you can not only make some money but can also improve your overall career prospects by getting some practical work experience early in life.
Many big corporations to work for after graduation
You will also have many big companies to work for after graduation and will likely have better career prospects compared to students in smaller towns and weaker economic regions.
Students in Nashville can benefit from decent public infrastructure
You should also know that overall public infrastructure is pretty decent and students in Nashville never run out of important things of daily life and will also find most things they need pretty close to their homes.
Now that you know the reasons for studying in Nashville, we also have to talk about the downsides of studying in Nashville so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to study in Nashville or rather want to spend your student life in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Studying in Nashville
- You will not meet many international students in Nashville
- Nashville is not the safest city
- Many students in Nashville have to live in rather dodgy neighborhoods
- Nightlife in Nashville is not as great as in other cities
- Nashville is not a typical student town
- Winters in Nashville may be too cold for many students
- Hard to build a strong business network in Nashville
- Hard to find really great education in Nashville
- You may have worse career prospects compared to graduates from elite schools
- Your friends may not understand your decision of studying in Nashville
- Student jobs in Nashville often don’t pay really good money
- You may have to use student loan debt to finance your degree
You will not meet many international students in Nashville
One problem with studying in Nashville is that you will not be able to meet many international students.
In fact, Nashville is not the most popular city on a global scale and if you want to have the opportunity to get in touch with many students from all over the world, studying in Chicago or other more popular places may be better for you.
Nashville is not the safest city
You should also keep in mind that crime rates in Nashville are pretty high and if you live in the wrong districts, you may also not feel safe and your student life may suffer quite a lot due to that.
Many students in Nashville have to live in rather dodgy neighborhoods
Since housing costs become increasingly expensive, many students in Nashville are no longer able to afford a place in a fancy neighborhood and may end up in rather dodgy boroughs which may decrease overall quality of life quite a lot.
Nightlife in Nashville is not as great as in other cities
Another downside to studying in Nashville is that you will also not find as many great bars and clubs as students in many other big cities and if you are a party person, you may get fed up with nightlife in Nashville rather quickly.
Nashville is not a typical student town
You should also keep in mind that Nashville is not a typical student town.
In fact, public infrastructure is mainly focused on middle-aged people and not on the younger generation and Nashville is therefore just not the most exciting place for students.
Winters in Nashville may be too cold for many students
If you love the heat and want to enjoy warm weather all year long, studying in Nashville may also not be a great idea for you since winters can be pretty cold in this region and you may be better off studying in Austin or other warmer regions instead.
Hard to build a strong business network in Nashville
Since Nashville is not the most popular city, you will also not meet as many influential people in this region as in many other big cities and may therefore have a harder time building a strong business network.
Hard to find really great education in Nashville
While you will find many decent colleges, it is still hard to find world-class education in the Nashville region and if you want to get the best education possible, you may rather want to study at Yale or other top-tier schools instead.
You may have worse career prospects compared to graduates from elite schools
Since education levels in Nashville cannot be considered great on average, you may also have worse career prospects compared to people studying at Ivy League schools and many doors that will open for people from elite schools may not open for you as a graduate from University of Nashville.
Your friends may not understand your decision of studying in Nashville
Since Nashville is not the most popular city and student life is not really great, your family and friends may also not understand your decision of studying in Nashville and you may have to spend lots of time convincing them that this is still a good decision.
Student jobs in Nashville often don’t pay really good money
While you will find many student jobs in Nashville, you should also know that many of those jobs don’t pay really good money and you may therefore not be able to finance your studies through those jobs.
You may have to use student loan debt to finance your degree
If you don’t get financial support from your parents, you may also have to use significant amounts of student loan debt to finance your degree which you would have to pay back later in life and this may financially constrain you quite a lot for many years.

Top 10 Studying in Nashville Pros & Cons – Summary List
Studying in Nashville Pros | Studying in Nashville Cons |
---|---|
Rents are still affordable for many students in Nashville | Hard to find world-class colleges in Nashville |
Living costs are still reasonably low | Some students in Nashville no longer feel safe |
Rather limited financial pressure for students in Nashville | Students in Nashville can’t enjoy the beach |
Students in Nashville find a decent place to stay rather quickly | Nashville is not the most exciting student city |
Many decent student clubs in Nashville | You may not have great career options |
You can engage in extracurricular activities | Studying in Nashville may not be great for your CV |
Easy to get around for students in Nashville | You may get annoyed by cold winters in Nashville |
Students in Nashville can enjoy decent public infrastructure | Student jobs often don’t pay great money |
Many decent libraries in Nashville | You may have to use student loan debt to finance your degree |
Many recreational spaces to relax in Nashville | You may have to justify studying in Nashville |
Is Nashville A Good City For Students?
While studying in Nashville can make quite a lot of sense since living and housing costs are still moderately low and you will be able to enjoy many amenities that come along with studying in a big city, you should also know that Nashville is not the most popular student city, it is hard to find world-class education and you will also not be able to meet many international students.
Alternative Cities To Study
If you don’t want to study in Nashville anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Oklahoma City
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Houston
Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Charlotte
Sources
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/davidsoncountytennessee
Own research.

About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.