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Police academy in Tennessee

12 police and corrections programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

12 schools offer these law enforcement programs, and Tennessee has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Police officers protect lives and property. Applicants need at least a high school diploma, though some departments and federal agencies ask for college classes or a degree, and they usually must be 21 and meet strict physical and personal standards; most then graduate from their agency's training academy and train on the job.1

In Tennessee, 7 of the 12 programs take students without a high school diploma and 5 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 12 programs here are corrections officer academy (9 programs), police academy (basic law enforcement, 2 programs) and law enforcement certificate (1 program).

See the 12 programs

How much does police academy cost in Tennessee?

$2,711 to $2,880 is what most police and corrections programs in Tennessee cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 12 programs with a price. All of them: $2,274 to $4,400

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not enough data
3 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Working 6 months later
Not enough data
2 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
2 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Length
29 to 30 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Tennessee may also offer police academy training. How these figures are made

Is there free police academy training in Tennessee?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 12 police and corrections programs in Tennessee approved for WIOA funding

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12 programs

How to pay for police academy training in Tennessee

WIOA funding can pay for police academy training in Tennessee

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for police academy training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.67

GI Bill for police academy training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: Police academy in Tennessee

programs with a price cost under $3,000
10 of 12
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
5th of 17
police and corrections programs here, against the typical state's 7
12 vs 7

State comparisons use the same figures as the police academy training by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Police academy in Morristown, Dyersburg, Cleveland and other Tennessee cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above. 2 more programs are in 2 other areas, 2 in smaller cities and towns.

Other training in Tennessee

How police academy training compares with the rest of public safety: First responder training in Tennessee

Where the Tennessee law enforcement program numbers come from

Which Tennessee law enforcement programs are on this list?

These are the law enforcement programs Tennessee approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).9 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Tennessee offers.

How the prices and results of Tennessee law enforcement programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about police academy training in Tennessee

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Police and Detectives
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List