Tennessee Best College Rankings
Vanderbilt University ranked first and Belmont University ranked second in Tennessee college rankings. The 2025 average tuition & fees of the Tennessee best colleges is $22,245 for Tennessee residents and $28,550 for out-of-state students. The average acceptance rate is 68.58% and the average SAT score is 1,165. The average number of student population is 6,575 and the average student to faculty ratio is 14 to 1.
Below statements summarize the average statistics of tuition, admission, and more academic factors for Tennessee best colleges. For the statistics, we only include 4 years colleges such as national universities and liberal arts colleges.
- The average undergraduate tuition & fees is $28,550 and Vanderbilt University has the highest tuition & fees of $67,498 and Omega Graduate School has the lowest tuition & fees of $6,550.
- The average graduate tuition & fees is $19,811 and Vanderbilt University has the highest tuition & fees of $57,868 and Omega Graduate School has the lowest tuition & fees of $7,050.
- The average SAT score is 1,165 and Vanderbilt University has the highest SAT score of 1,540 and Bethel University has the lowest score of 920.
- The average acceptance rate is 68.58% and Vanderbilt University has the tightest (lowest) rate of 6% and King University has the loosest (lowest) rate of 100%.
- The average student population is 6,575 and The University of Tennessee-Knoxville has the most students of 38,728 and Omega Graduate School has the fewest students of 69.
- The average graduation rate is 54.33% and Vanderbilt University has the highest rate of 94% and Lane College has the lowest rate of 18%.
Tennessee Best Colleges Comparison
The below table compares the 34 best colleges in Tennessee with important academic factors. You can sort the table by touching/clicking a column name that you want to sort.
| Rank | College Name | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Graduate Tuition & Fees | SAT Score | Acceptance Rate | Population | Graduation Rate | Student to Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | $67,498 | $57,868 | 1,540 | 5.9% | 13,575 | 94% | 8 to 1 |
| 2 | Belmont University Nashville, TN | $42,540 | $27,810 | 1,260 | 95.3% | 8,803 | 71% | 12 to 1 |
| 3 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN | $40,572 | $17,334 | 1,280 | 67.7% | 5,017 | 72% | 13 to 1 |
| 4 | Union University Jackson, TN | $37,398 | $14,419 | 1,290 | 60.4% | 2,713 | 66% | 9 to 1 |
| 5 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN | $18,512 | $19,174 | 1,100 | 81.1% | 11,775 | 50% | 18 to 1 |
| 6 | Rhodes College Memphis, TN | $57,110 | $57,110 | 1,385 | 50.4% | 1,861 | 85% | 9 to 1 |
| 7 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN | $33,256 | $34,760 | 1,280 | 41.6% | 38,728 | 74% | 18 to 1 |
| 8 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN | $31,300 | $10,537 | 1,095 | 69.4% | 3,195 | 53% | 20 to 1 |
| 9 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN | $27,300 | $13,760 | 1,140 | 65.5% | 3,229 | 49% | 19 to 1 |
| 10 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN | $26,938 | $22,154 | 1,100 | 62.6% | 6,081 | 50% | 10 to 1 |
| 11 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN | $14,766 | $15,702 | 1,005 | 96.4% | 10,439 | 40% | 14 to 1 |
| 12 | The University of the South Sewanee, TN | $56,120 | $19,280 | 1,330 | 56.9% | 1,724 | 80% | 9 to 1 |
| 13 | Johnson University Knoxville, TN | $21,122 | $8,305 | 1,040 | 65.1% | 978 | 57% | 12 to 1 |
| 14 | Freed-Hardeman University Henderson, TN | $25,620 | $11,970 | 1,020 | 59.7% | 2,306 | 71% | 10 to 1 |
| 15 | Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN | $38,420 | $13,998 | 1,205 | 86.7% | 1,772 | 55% | 9 to 1 |
| 16 | King University Bristol, TN | $20,397 | $16,073 | - | 99.7% | 1,157 | 48% | 11 to 1 |
| 17 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN | $22,416 | $23,808 | 960 | 70.1% | 6,310 | 34% | 13 to 1 |
| 18 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN | $31,574 | $29,700 | 1,130 | 69.1% | 20,488 | 54% | 17 to 1 |
| 19 | Carson-Newman University Jefferson City, TN | $34,700 | $14,355 | 1,070 | 90.5% | 2,669 | 53% | 12 to 1 |
| 20 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN | $15,384 | $15,840 | 1,035 | 72.0% | 20,276 | 51% | 16 to 1 |
| 21 | Tusculum University Greeneville, TN | $29,250 | $15,675 | - | 72.2% | 1,103 | 25% | 18 to 1 |
| 22 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN | $15,576 | $15,746 | 1,180 | 76.1% | 10,511 | 58% | 16 to 1 |
| 23 | Bethel University McKenzie, TN | $18,712 | $15,525 | 920 | 60.2% | 2,936 | 35% | 15 to 1 |
| 24 | The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin, TN | $16,600 | $12,978 | 1,110 | 88.2% | 7,499 | 53% | 16 to 1 |
| 25 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN | $13,726 | $26,486 | 1,080 | 86.2% | 13,728 | 53% | 15 to 1 |
| 26 | Bryan College-Dayton Dayton, TN | $19,800 | $10,910 | - | - | 1,701 | 50% | 14 to 1 |
| 27 | Lee University Cleveland, TN | $23,790 | $17,480 | 1,130 | 70.5% | 3,714 | 63% | 13 to 1 |
| 28 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN | $27,840 | $8,280 | - | 67.3% | 3,457 | 46% | 19 to 1 |
| 29 | Fisk University Nashville, TN | $25,858 | $26,188 | 1,420 | 37.4% | 1,059 | 30% | 12 to 1 |
| 30 | Maryville College Maryville, TN | $39,284 | $16,287 | - | 60.9% | 1,136 | 50% | 12 to 1 |
| 31 | South College Knoxville, TN | $18,535 | $28,849 | - | - | 11,557 | 42% | 25 to 1 |
| 32 | Milligan University Milligan, TN | $40,450 | $8,358 | 1,185 | 72.3% | 1,240 | 63% | 10 to 1 |
| 33 | Lane College Jackson, TN | $11,790 | - | - | - | 738 | 18% | 15 to 1 |
| 34 | Omega Graduate School Dayton, TN | $6,550 | $7,050 | - | - | 69 | - | - |
| Average | $28,550 | $19,811 | 1,165 | 68.6% | 6,575 | 54% | 14 to 1 |
Tennessee Colleges by Ranking and School Type