Best Christian Colleges in Tennessee 2023

Published: May 5, 2021
Updated: Sep 8, 2023

For prospective college students looking for schools that align with their Christian faith and demonstrate academic excellence, here are the best Christian colleges and universities in Tennessee.

10 Best Christian Colleges in Tennessee

Rhodes College
Sewanee: The University of the South
Belmont University
Lipscomb University
King University
Maryville College
Union University
Lee University
Tennessee Wesleyan University
Trevecca Nazarene University

LeMoyne–Owen College 98%
Christian Brothers University 97%
University of Tennessee Southern 92%
Belmont University 88%
Freed–Hardeman University 88%
Lee University 83%
Carson–Newman University 79%
Trevecca Nazarene University 78%
Tusculum University 77%
Lipscomb University 74%

Tusculum University 18 to 1
Lane College 17 to 1
Lee University 15 to 1
Bethel University 15 to 1
Lipscomb University 14 to 1
Belmont University 14 to 1
Carson–Newman University 14 to 1
University of Tennessee Southern 13 to 1
Trevecca Nazarene University 13 to 1
Freed–Hardeman University 13 to 1

Rhodes College $50,910
Sewanee: The University of the South $49,418
Belmont University $38,430
Maryville College $37,016
Lipscomb University $35,752
Union University $35,510
Christian Brothers University $34,820
King University $32,838
Carson–Newman University $31,320
Trevecca Nazarene University $26,898

Rhodes College $50,600
Belmont University $24,300
Tennessee Wesleyan University $20,870
Sewanee: The University of the South $17,963
Lipscomb University $17,100
Lee University $14,850
King University $14,207
Christian Brothers University $12,928
Southern Adventist University $11,880
Bethel University $11,723

Bethel University
Freed–Hardeman University
Tusculum University
Welch College
LeMoyne–Owen College
Bryan College
Southern Adventist University
Carson–Newman University
Lane College
University of Tennessee Southern

Bethel University 50%
Union University 53%
Rhodes College 57%
Tennessee Wesleyan University 60%
Sewanee: The University of the South 60%
King University 66%
Maryville College 68%
Southern Adventist University 74%
Lipscomb University 74%
Tusculum University 77%

Welch College 9 to 1
Rhodes College 9 to 1
Sewanee: The University of the South 10 to 1
Union University 10 to 1
Christian Brothers University 11 to 1
King University 11 to 1
LeMoyne–Owen College 11 to 1
Tennessee Wesleyan University 11 to 1
Maryville College 12 to 1
Bryan College 12 to 1

University of Tennessee Southern $10,200
Lane College $11,790
LeMoyne–Owen College $12,076
Bryan College $17,360
Bethel University $17,482
Welch College $19,582
Lee University $20,500
Southern Adventist University $23,210
Freed–Hardeman University $23,300
Tusculum University $26,510

Tusculum University $7,200
Welch College $8,100
University of Tennessee Southern $8,910
Carson–Newman University $9,432
Bryan College $9,630
Freed–Hardeman University $10,980
Trevecca Nazarene University $11,235
Union University $11,618
Bethel University $11,723
Southern Adventist University $11,880

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Tennessee

About one third of the higher learning institutes in Tennessee are public schools. Students who attend these schools can expect to pay anywhere between $4,000 to $13,000 in tuition and have the option to pursue degrees in fields such as economics, history, nursing, literature, education, and criminal justice. Tennessee’s largest public school, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, boasts some impressive alumni, including Oprah Winfrey, Kurt Vonnegut, and Cormac McCarthy. The private school alumni are equally as notable. For example, author James Patterson and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus both attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

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Tennessee also offers nearly 30 religiously affiliated schools, the largest being Belmont University in Nashville, located just blocks from the famous Music Row. Here, students can study a wide range of fields including Christian leadership, audio engineering technology, and biophysics. Additionally, Tennessee offers students several loan forgiveness programs. Math and science teachers, minority teachers, and registered nurses interested in becoming teachers or administrators who meet certain requirements may be eligible.

Tennessee is home to mouthwatering barbecues, electrified blues, and the sweeping majesty of the Smoky Mountains National Park. And with access to countless historic sites, unique museums, and lush green spaces, students attending one of the more than 60 colleges and universities in The Volunteer State will have plenty to do and see in their downtime.

Discover more about the top programs and higher education learning opportunities available in Tennessee.

What are Tennessee’s Colleges & Universities?

Tennessee’s Best Overall

The following list of the best Christian schools consists entirely of colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 21 Christian colleges in Tennessee. In order to be included in this ranking list of best Christian colleges and universities, a school must self-identify as Christian, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor degree programs.

How do we determine Tennessee's best Christian colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Christian Colleges in Tennessee 2022

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Tennessee’s Best Christian Colleges in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Rhodes College Sewanee: The University of the South Bryan College Southern Adventist University Maryville College Carson–Newman University King University Tusculum University Lipscomb University Lee University Union University Christian Brothers University Trevecca Nazarene University Freed–Hardeman University Tennessee Wesleyan University Belmont University

Best Christian Colleges in Tennessee 2023

10 Best Christian Colleges in Tennessee

Colleges and Universities in Tennessee

What are Tennessee’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Christian Colleges in Tennessee 2022

Most Influential Alumni

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Lipscomb University’s Online Degrees

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Bryan College’s Online Degrees

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Union University’s Online Degrees

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King University’s Online Degrees

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Christian Brothers University’s Online Degrees

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Carson–Newman University’s Online Degrees

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Southern Adventist University’s Online Degrees

Tennessee Wesleyan University’s Online Degrees

Most Influential Alumni

Trevecca Nazarene University’s Online Degrees

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Welch College’s Online Degrees

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Bethel University ’s Online Degrees

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Tusculum University’s Online Degrees

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Tennessee’s Best Christian Colleges in Your Area of Interest