Colleges

Colleges in Tennessee

Tennessee has 36 four-year colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: 10 public and 26 private. The largest is The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, with 30,418 undergraduates.

School	City	Type	Undergrads	Acceptance rate	SAT middle 50%	In-state tuition	Avg. net price	Grad rate
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	Knoxville	public	30,418	41.6%	1200–1370	$13,812	$18,976	73.9%
Middle Tennessee State University	Murfreesboro	public	16,301	69.1%	1010–1230	$10,266	$13,359	53.7%
University of Memphis	Memphis	public	12,701	72%	915–1180	$10,728	$12,397	50.9%
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga	Chattanooga	public	10,074	81.1%	1013–1210	$10,448	$14,265	50.2%
East Tennessee State University	Johnson City	public	10,004	86.2%	980–1200	$10,472	$15,983	53.2%
Tennessee Technological University	Cookeville	public	8,698	76.1%	1048–1310	$11,376	$14,246	57.7%
Austin Peay State University	Clarksville	public	7,560	96.4%	843–1126	$9,006	$9,735	40.2%
Vanderbilt University	Nashville	private	7,208	5.9%	1500–1570	$67,498	$15,846	93.5%
Belmont University	Nashville	private	7,137	95.3%	1160–1350	$42,540	$33,147	70.7%
The University of Tennessee-Martin	Martin	public	4,866	88.2%	970–1210	$10,560	$10,701	52.5%
Tennessee State University	Nashville	public	4,848	70.1%	880–1050	$8,616	$15,796	34%
Lipscomb University	Nashville	private	2,997	67.7%	1160–1380	$40,572	$24,739	72.2%
Southern Adventist University	Collegedale	private	2,773	65.5%	1020–1300	$27,300	$24,345	49.4%
Lee University	Cleveland	private	2,617	70.5%	1040–1230	$23,790	$18,878	62.6%
Cumberland University	Lebanon	private	2,104	67.3%		$27,840	$18,759	45.6%
Rhodes College	Memphis	private	1,836	50.3%	1300–1486	$57,110	$28,585	84.5%
Trevecca Nazarene University	Nashville	private	1,737	69.4%	980–1235	$31,300	$16,813	53.2%
The University of the South	Sewanee	private	1,607	56.9%	1260–1390	$56,120	$27,872	79.8%
Union University	Jackson	private	1,607	60.4%	1160–1390	$40,025	$27,171	66%
Lincoln Memorial University	Harrogate	private	1,572	62.6%	1000–1210	$26,938	$20,406	49.7%
Bethel University	McKenzie	private	1,547	60.2%	830–1120	$18,712	$12,595	35.1%
Carson-Newman University	Jefferson City	private	1,387	90.5%	955–1215	$34,700	$20,251	53.2%
Freed-Hardeman University	Henderson	private	1,212	59.7%	952–1087	$25,620	$21,574	70.8%
Fisk University	Nashville	private	1,035	37.4%	1140–1510	$25,858	$32,020	29.9%
Maryville College	Maryville	private	1,005	60.9%		$39,284	$19,360	50%
King University	Bristol	private	908	99.7%		$36,194	$22,347	47.9%
Christian Brothers University	Memphis	private	905	86.7%	1020–1380	$38,420	$9,854	54.7%
The University of Tennessee Southern	Pulaski	public	864	86.7%	905–1110	$10,924	$12,798	36.9%
Tennessee Wesleyan University	Athens	private	846	68.9%		$30,814	$14,836	47.6%
Milligan University	Milligan	private	818	72.3%	1133–1268	$40,450	$21,365	63.4%
Bryan College-Dayton	Dayton	private	814			$19,800	$20,614	49.7%
Tusculum University	Greeneville	private	785	72.2%		$29,250	$21,131	25.5%
Baptist Health Sciences University	Memphis	private	770	82%		$13,796	$11,212	39.8%
Johnson University	Knoxville	private	743	65.1%	960–1110	$21,122	$22,063	56.8%
Lane College	Jackson	private	736			$11,790	$10,904	18.4%
Le Moyne-Owen College	Memphis	private	581	99.2%		$12,076	$7,099	27%

A blank cell means the school did not report that figure. Net price is the average cost after grants for students receiving federal aid. Graduation rate is within six years.

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Frequently asked questions

How many colleges are in Tennessee?

36 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates, 10 public and 26 private, according to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Community colleges, for-profit schools, and online-only schools are not counted.

What is the hardest college to get into in Tennessee?

By acceptance rate, Vanderbilt University (5.9%), Fisk University (37.4%), The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (41.6%), Rhodes College (50.3%), The University of the South (56.9%) are the most selective.

What is the cheapest public college in Tennessee?

Tennessee State University has the lowest published in-state tuition and fees of the public four-year colleges here, at $8,616 a year. That is the sticker price before financial aid.

Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release. These are federal figures. Schools with a linked profile have also been checked against their own filings; the others have not.