Best Colleges in Tennessee 2026

Tennessee's higher education landscape offers strong options across both public and private institutions, with our ranking evaluating 37 qualifying schools statewide. The top tier showcases remarkable diversity, featuring major research universities alongside specialized health sciences programs and smaller liberal arts colleges. Private institutions claim three of the five leading spots, though public flagship University of Tennessee-Knoxville maintains its competitive position through comprehensive academic offerings and research opportunities. When comparing Tennessee schools, students should prioritize factors like graduation rates, faculty-to-student ratios, post-graduation employment outcomes, and program-specific accreditations. The state's geographic variety also means considering campus settings, from urban Nashville and Memphis to smaller college towns throughout the region.

Schools Ranked

$48,567

Avg. Earnings

59.6%

Avg. Graduation Rate

Top 25 Schools

College rankings
#	School	Graduation Rate	Median Earnings	Acceptance Rate	In-State Tuition
1	Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee	92.7%	$91,565	6.7%	$63,946
2	Baptist Health Sciences University Memphis, Tennessee	53.8%	$72,529	40.9%	$13,846
3	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee	73.5%	$60,249	68.4%	$13,484
4	Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers Chattanooga, Tennessee	87.4%	$25,954		$10,690
5	Bryan College-Dayton Dayton, Tennessee	55.9%	$54,434		$18,900
6	The University of the South Sewanee, Tennessee	82.4%	$64,911	52.3%	$53,698
7	Rhodes College Memphis, Tennessee	81.6%	$66,651	53.9%	$54,892
8	North Central Institute Clarksville, Tennessee	84.6%	$55,027
9	Welch College Gallatin, Tennessee	61.4%	$42,198		$20,796
10	Union University Jackson, Tennessee	70.9%	$53,990	52.6%	$38,450
11	Visible Music College Memphis, Tennessee	48.3%	$35,933	20.4%	$22,000
12	Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee	54.0%	$48,541	72.5%	$9,506
13	Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, Tennessee	54.2%	$48,501	78.1%	$10,084
14	Johnson University Knoxville, Tennessee	62.2%	$40,596	63.2%	$20,318
15	The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee	53.1%	$51,151	82.7%	$10,144
16	Williamson Christian College Franklin, Tennessee	50.0%	$37,474		$15,010
17	William R Moore College of Technology Memphis, Tennessee	47.4%	$32,194		$9,678
18	Walters State Community College Morristown, Tennessee	36.0%	$37,085		$4,519
19	Fortis Institute-Nashville Nashville, Tennessee	51.8%	$32,886		$15,237
20	Lipscomb University Nashville, Tennessee	68.7%	$55,541	71.1%	$38,824
21	SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville Nashville, Tennessee	45.8%	$39,544		$17,027
22	Roane State Community College Harriman, Tennessee	32.1%	$39,407		$4,762
23	Tennessee State University Nashville, Tennessee	33.0%	$42,730		$8,568
24	Southern Adventist University Collegedale, Tennessee	51.4%	$53,723	65.8%	$25,590
25	Remington College-Nashville Campus Nashville, Tennessee	58.4%	$31,349		$21,230