Photo: Nyttend · Public domainNossi College of Art and Design is 11.2 miles from Ridgetop
No college sits inside Ridgetop’s boundary, but Nossi College of Art and Design’s campus in Nashville, with 278 students on campus, is 11.2 miles from the center of town, and Volunteer State Community College is 15.3 miles away in Gallatin. About 3% of Ridgetop’s residents are enrolled in college, below Tennessee (5%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Ridgetop. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Ridgetop
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Ridgetop
Four private colleges within 14.5 miles. The nearest public four-year college, Tennessee State University, is 16.7 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $75–110k, where Ridgetop’s median household income ($85,063) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Lincoln College of Technology-Nashville (8).
Questions about college near Ridgetop
Is Ridgetop a college town?
No. About 3 of every 100 Ridgetop residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Tennessee (5). The nearest campus, Nossi College of Art and Design, is 11.2 miles away in Nashville.
What colleges are near Ridgetop?
Within 15 miles: Nossi College of Art and Design (11.2 miles, 278 students on campus), Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc (11.4 miles, 200), Welch College (12.4 miles, 323) and Lincoln College of Technology-Nashville (14.5 miles, 1,062).
What is the closest community college to Ridgetop, and what does it cost?
Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, 15.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,756 a year for Tennessee residents; the federal net price, $7,802, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Tennessee State University cost if we live in Tennessee?
Tuition and fees are $8,616 a year in-state and $22,416 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $15,005 (under $30,000 income) to $20,099 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Ridgetop. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →