Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rate in Tennessee
Ranked by graduation rate (89 colleges with at least 200 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
| # | College | Graduation rate | Net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCAT Athens Athens, TN · Public | 95% | $12,758 | $40,540 |
| 2 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 94% | $15,846 | $91,565 |
| 3 | Rhodes College Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 85% | $28,585 | $66,651 |
| 4 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jacksboro Jacksboro, TN · Public | 84% | $12,746 | $36,449 |
| 5 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Upper Cumberland Crossville, TN · Public | 84% | $10,865 | $35,551 |
| 6 | Brillare Beauty Institute Cleveland, TN · Private nonprofit | 84% | $17,894 | $24,728 |
| 7 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hartsville Hartsville, TN · Public | 82% | $7,194 | $40,469 |
| 8 | Tennessee School of Beauty of Knoxville Inc Knoxville, TN · Private for-profit | 82% | $10,052 | $19,913 |
| 9 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton Elizabethton, TN · Public | 81% | $8,568 | $35,069 |
| 10 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville Shelbyville, TN · Public | 81% | $7,573 | $38,700 |
| 11 | The University of the South Sewanee, TN · Private nonprofit | 80% | $27,872 | $64,911 |
| 12 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown Morristown, TN · Public | 80% | $15,910 | $38,837 |
| 13 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jackson Jackson, TN · Public | 80% | $8,472 | $38,383 |
| 14 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Livingston Livingston, TN · Public | 78% | $12,612 | $33,497 |
| 15 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro Murfreesboro, TN · Public | 76% | $6,631 | $40,869 |
| 16 | Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro Murfreesboro, TN · Private for-profit | 75% | $18,716 | $30,461 |
| 17 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski Pulaski, TN · Public | 75% | $15,269 | $40,368 |
| 18 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson Dickson, TN · Public | 74% | $14,780 | $36,829 |
| 19 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public | 74% | $18,976 | $60,249 |
| 20 | Paul Mitchell the School-Murfreesboro-Nashville Hendersonville, TN · Private for-profit | 74% | $22,587 | $30,461 |
| 21 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 72% | $24,739 | $55,541 |
| 22 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville Knoxville, TN · Public | 71% | $20,012 | $37,235 |
| 23 | Freed-Hardeman University Henderson, TN · Private nonprofit | 71% | $21,574 | $47,485 |
| 24 | Belmont University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 71% | $33,147 | $55,930 |
| 25 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville Nashville, TN · Public | 70% | $15,816 | $38,955 |
| 26 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Harriman Harriman, TN · Public | 69% | $11,148 | $31,591 |
| 27 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest Newbern, TN · Public | 69% | $9,698 | $38,514 |
| 28 | Nashville Auto-Diesel College Nashville, TN · Private for-profit | 68% | $32,544 | $46,396 |
| 29 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McMinnville McMinnville, TN · Public | 67% | $11,413 | $40,322 |
| 30 | Union University Jackson, TN · Private nonprofit | 66% | $27,171 | $53,990 |
| 31 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Hohenwald Hohenwald, TN · Public | 65% | $12,267 | $36,106 |
| 32 | Milligan University Milligan, TN · Private nonprofit | 63% | $21,365 | $46,641 |
| 33 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump Crump, TN · Public | 63% | $-839 | $30,796 |
| 34 | Lee University Cleveland, TN · Private nonprofit | 63% | $18,878 | $43,222 |
| 35 | Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN · Private for-profit | 60% | $23,958 | $31,102 |
| 36 | Paul Mitchell the School-Memphis Memphis, TN · Private for-profit | 59% | $18,186 | $25,306 |
| 37 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN · Public | 58% | $14,246 | $48,501 |
| 38 | Johnson University Knoxville, TN · Private nonprofit | 57% | $22,063 | $40,596 |
| 39 | Concorde Career College-Memphis Memphis, TN · Private for-profit | 55% | $24,563 | $31,599 |
| 40 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Memphis Memphis, TN · Public | 55% | $14,315 | $31,192 |
| 41 | Christian Brothers University Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 55% | $9,854 | $57,478 |
| 42 | Genesis Career College-Cookeville Cookeville, TN · Private for-profit | 54% | $12,321 | $22,652 |
| 43 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN · Public | 54% | $13,359 | $48,541 |
| 44 | Welch College Gallatin, TN · Private nonprofit | 53% | $25,263 | $42,198 |
| 45 | Carson-Newman University Jefferson City, TN · Private nonprofit | 53% | $20,251 | $48,382 |
| 46 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN · Public | 53% | $15,983 | $44,859 |
| 47 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 53% | $16,813 | $49,378 |
| 48 | The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin, TN · Public | 53% | $10,701 | $44,213 |
| 49 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN · Public | 51% | $12,397 | $48,458 |
| 50 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN · Public | 50% | $14,265 | $51,151 |
| 51 | Maryville College Maryville, TN · Private nonprofit | 50% | $19,360 | $49,279 |
| 52 | William R Moore College of Technology Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 50% | $14,957 | $32,194 |
| 53 | Fortis Institute-Cookeville Cookeville, TN · Private for-profit | 50% | $23,582 | $34,509 |
| 54 | Bryan College-Dayton Dayton, TN · Private nonprofit | 50% | $20,614 | $54,434 |
| 55 | Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN · Private nonprofit | 50% | $20,406 | $49,956 |
| 56 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN · Private nonprofit | 49% | $24,345 | $53,723 |
| 57 | King University Bristol, TN · Private nonprofit | 48% | $22,347 | $59,831 |
| 58 | Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, TN · Private nonprofit | 48% | $14,836 | $45,989 |
| 59 | Remington College-Nashville Campus Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 47% | $29,098 | $31,349 |
| 60 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN · Private nonprofit | 46% | $18,759 | $57,687 |
| 61 | Fortis Institute-Nashville Nashville, TN · Private for-profit | 43% | $29,039 | $32,886 |
| 62 | South College Knoxville, TN · Private for-profit | 42% | $17,858 | $36,642 |
| 63 | Nossi College of Art and Design Nashville, TN · Private for-profit | 42% | $24,044 | $35,113 |
| 64 | SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville Nashville, TN · Private for-profit | 42% | $24,700 | $39,544 |
| 65 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN · Public | 40% | $9,735 | $44,301 |
| 66 | Baptist Health Sciences University Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 40% | $11,212 | $72,529 |
| 67 | Remington College-Memphis Campus Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 38% | $26,572 | $31,349 |
| 68 | The University of Tennessee Southern Pulaski, TN · Public | 37% | $12,798 | $38,924 |
| 69 | Cleveland State Community College Cleveland, TN · Public | 37% | $6,384 | $36,671 |
| 70 | Roane State Community College Harriman, TN · Public | 36% | $4,270 | $39,407 |
| 71 | Bethel University McKenzie, TN · Private nonprofit | 35% | $12,595 | $47,482 |
| 72 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN · Public | 34% | $15,796 | $42,730 |
| 73 | Motlow State Community College Tullahoma, TN · Public | 34% | $15,742 | $40,397 |
| 74 | Dyersburg State Community College Dyersburg, TN · Public | 34% | $4,612 | $36,132 |
| 75 | Walters State Community College Morristown, TN · Public | 33% | $5,387 | $37,085 |
| 76 | Northeast State Community College Blountville, TN · Public | 33% | $6,864 | $34,553 |
| 77 | Pellissippi State Community College Knoxville, TN · Public | 31% | $4,983 | $38,440 |
| 78 | Fisk University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | 30% | $32,020 | $45,454 |
| 79 | Columbia State Community College Columbia, TN · Public | 30% | $4,734 | $40,256 |
| 80 | Volunteer State Community College Gallatin, TN · Public | 28% | $7,802 | $41,150 |
| 81 | Le Moyne-Owen College Memphis, TN · Private nonprofit | 27% | $7,099 | $35,594 |
| 82 | Chattanooga State Community College Chattanooga, TN · Public | 26% | $5,283 | $37,598 |
| 83 | Jackson State Community College Jackson, TN · Public | 26% | $6,236 | $35,224 |
| 84 | Tusculum University Greeneville, TN · Private nonprofit | 25% | $21,131 | $44,367 |
| 85 | Southwest Tennessee Community College Memphis, TN · Public | 19% | $4,754 | $34,071 |
| 86 | Nashville State Community College Nashville, TN · Public | 18% | $6,777 | $38,519 |
| 87 | Lane College Jackson, TN · Private nonprofit | 18% | $10,904 | $31,670 |
| 88 | Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers Chattanooga, TN · Private for-profit | 12% | $33,625 | $25,954 |
| 89 | Strayer University-Tennessee Nashville, TN · Private for-profit | 0% | $11,645 | $40,092 |