Notable Four-Year Colleges and Universities in Tennessee

This directory-style guide highlights 50 four-year colleges and universities in Tennessee. Each institution is identified by its full profile name and location so similarly named organizations are easier to distinguish. “Notable” is a directory label, not an evaluation of quality or an endorsement.

Entries were selected and ordered using enrollment values available in COSMIQ profiles. Enrollment figures are intentionally omitted. The order is an estimate of institution size, not a ranking of academic quality, outcomes, or fit.

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Institutions in this guide

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville — Knoxville, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
University of Memphis — Memphis, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Middle Tennessee State University — Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Vanderbilt University — Nashville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
East Tennessee State University — Johnson City, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga — Chattanooga, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Tennessee Technological University — Cookeville, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Austin Peay State University — Clarksville, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Tennessee State University — Nashville, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Belmont University — Nashville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
The University of Tennessee-Martin — Martin, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Lincoln Memorial University — Harrogate, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Lipscomb University — Nashville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Bethel University — McKenzie, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Lee University — Cleveland, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Trevecca Nazarene University — Nashville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center — Memphis, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Southern Adventist University — Collegedale, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Union University — Jackson, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Cumberland University — Lebanon, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Carson-Newman University — Jefferson City, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Freed-Hardeman University — Henderson, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Rhodes College — Memphis, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Christian Brothers University — Memphis, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
The University of the South — Sewanee, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Bryan College-Dayton — Dayton, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
King University — Bristol, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Tusculum University — Greeneville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Milligan University — Milligan, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Maryville College — Maryville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Fisk University — Nashville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Tennessee Wesleyan University — Athens, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Lane College — Jackson, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Meharry Medical College — Nashville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Johnson University — Knoxville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
The University of Tennessee Southern — Pulaski, Tennessee. Public four-year institution.
Baptist Health Sciences University — Memphis, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Le Moyne-Owen College — Memphis, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Pentecostal Theological Seminary — Cleveland, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Southern College of Optometry — Memphis, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Welch College — Gallatin, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Remington College-Memphis Campus — Memphis, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Richmont Graduate University — Chattanooga, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc — Madison, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Visible Music College — Memphis, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Remington College-Knoxville — Knoxville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Memphis Theological Seminary — Memphis, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Omega Graduate School — Dayton, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Williamson Christian College — Franklin, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
American Baptist College — Nashville, Tennessee. Private nonprofit four-year institution.

Selection and source notes

Where enough eligible profiles were available, this guide includes the top 50, 25, or 10 by available enrollment; smaller groups include all eligible profiles. Profile source year: 2022. Check each institution directly for current information.

Sources: NCES IPEDS. Inclusion does not imply endorsement by COSMIQ, and it does not mean that any listed institution endorses COSMIQ.