Easiest Colleges to Get Into in Tennessee
Ranked by acceptance rate (35 colleges with at least 500 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
| # | College | Acceptance rate | Net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King University Bristol, TN · Private nonprofit | 100% | $22,347 | $59,831 |
| 2 | Le Moyne-Owen College Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 99% | $7,099 | $35,594 |
| 3 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN · Public | 96% | $9,735 | $44,301 |
| 4 | Belmont University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 95% | $33,147 | $55,930 |
| 5 | Concorde Career College-Memphis Memphis, TN · Private for-profit | 95% | $24,563 | $31,599 |
| 6 | Carson-Newman University Jefferson City, TN · Private nonprofit | 90% | $20,251 | $48,382 |
| 7 | The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin, TN · Public | 88% | $10,701 | $44,213 |
| 8 | The University of Tennessee Southern Pulaski, TN · Public | 87% | $12,798 | $38,924 |
| 9 | Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 87% | $9,854 | $57,478 |
| 10 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN · Public | 86% | $15,983 | $44,859 |
| 11 | Baptist Health Sciences University Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 82% | $11,212 | $72,529 |
| 12 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN · Public | 81% | $14,265 | $51,151 |
| 13 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN · Public | 76% | $14,246 | $48,501 |
| 14 | Milligan University Milligan, TN · Private nonprofit | 72% | $21,365 | $46,641 |
| 15 | Tusculum University Greeneville, TN · Private nonprofit | 72% | $21,131 | $44,367 |
| 16 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN · Public | 72% | $12,397 | $48,458 |
| 17 | Lee University Cleveland, TN · Private nonprofit | 71% | $18,878 | $43,222 |
| 18 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN · Public | 70% | $15,796 | $42,730 |
| 19 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 69% | $16,813 | $49,378 |
| 20 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN · Public | 69% | $13,359 | $48,541 |
| 21 | Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, TN · Private nonprofit | 69% | $14,836 | $45,989 |
| 22 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 68% | $24,739 | $55,541 |
| 23 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN · Private nonprofit | 67% | $18,759 | $57,687 |
| 24 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN · Private nonprofit | 66% | $24,345 | $53,723 |
| 25 | Johnson University Knoxville, TN · Private nonprofit | 65% | $22,063 | $40,596 |
| 26 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN · Private nonprofit | 63% | $20,406 | $49,956 |
| 27 | Maryville College Maryville, TN · Private nonprofit | 61% | $19,360 | $49,279 |
| 28 | Union University Jackson, TN · Private nonprofit | 60% | $27,171 | $53,990 |
| 29 | Bethel University McKenzie, TN · Private nonprofit | 60% | $12,595 | $47,482 |
| 30 | Freed-Hardeman University Henderson, TN · Private nonprofit | 60% | $21,574 | $47,485 |
| 31 | The University of the South Sewanee, TN · Private nonprofit | 57% | $27,872 | $64,911 |
| 32 | Rhodes College Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 50% | $28,585 | $66,651 |
| 33 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public | 42% | $18,976 | $60,249 |
| 34 | Fisk University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 37% | $32,020 | $45,454 |
| 35 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 6% | $15,846 | $91,565 |