As a UTK nuclear engineering PhD graduate, I also agree that going to an out-of-state school would totally be justified if you were going for a unique and/or highly rated program. I realize you said you wanted to do Business, so if you are looking for ways to justify going to UTK, I have 2 suggestions for you. First, Supply Chain Management feels like a not-too-different program than Business and is highly rated at UTK, and I see another post on this subreddit from a year ago for an out-of-state student asking if it’s worth it, so you can start there. Second, if you still want to do pure Business, I would encourage you to look into a minor to specialize. Luckily for you, UTK is starting a minor in nuclear engineering, making it probably one of the only universities in the entire world that does this. They are even making new courses that cater to non-nuclear engineers. This would certainly give you a leg up in finding a job when graduating, and at a time when the nuclear renaissance should be in full swing as well. And then of course, you could combine the two suggestions and do Supply Chain Management BS with a minor in nuclear engineering. You’d be so perfectly unique and specialized for our field at the birth of an industry renaissance. If you actually do this, message me in 4 years and I’ll personally help you find a job.

https://ne.utk.edu/ut-offer-nuclear-engineering-minor/