Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Tennessee 2025

Q: Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Badge for BEST IN TENNESSEE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Jenn Finley

Published: May 5, 2021
Updated: Aug 27, 2024

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Tennessee

Fisk University
Rhodes College
Sewanee: The University of the South
University of Tennessee at Martin
Cumberland University
King University
Maryville College
Lee University
Christian Brothers University
University of Tennessee Southern

Fisk University
Rhodes College
Sewanee: The University of the South
Cumberland University
University of Tennessee at Martin
Austin Peay State University
King University
Lee University
Maryville College
Christian Brothers University

LeMoyne–Owen College 100%
Austin Peay State University 94%
Freed–Hardeman University 91%
Bethel University 89%
University of Tennessee at Martin 88%
Christian Brothers University 87%
Tusculum University 81%
University of Tennessee Southern 80%
Lee University 73%
Fisk University 71%

Bethel University 17 to 1
Cumberland University 16 to 1
Tusculum University 16 to 1
Lane College 15 to 1
Southern Adventist University 15 to 1
University of Tennessee at Martin 15 to 1
Austin Peay State University 14 to 1
Freed–Hardeman University 13 to 1
Bryan College 13 to 1
University of Tennessee Southern 12 to 1

Rhodes College $52,310
Sewanee: The University of the South $51,146
Maryville College $37,758
Christian Brothers University $35,520
King University $33,784
Tennessee Wesleyan University $27,350
Tusculum University $27,208
Cumberland University $26,400
Freed–Hardeman University $24,300
Southern Adventist University $23,870

Rhodes College $52,000
Fisk University $21,600
Tennessee Wesleyan University $20,870
Sewanee: The University of the South $18,000
Lee University $15,750
Christian Brothers University $14,977
Maryville College $14,400
King University $14,181
Tusculum University $13,050
Southern Adventist University $12,150

Daymar Institute
Bethel University
Freed–Hardeman University
Welch College
Tusculum University
LeMoyne–Owen College
Southern Adventist University
Bryan College
Tennessee Wesleyan University
Lane College

Daymar Institute
Bethel University
Freed–Hardeman University
Welch College
Tusculum University
LeMoyne–Owen College
Southern Adventist University
Bryan College
Tennessee Wesleyan University
Lane College

Sewanee: The University of the South 52%
Rhodes College 54%
King University 61%
Tennessee Wesleyan University 61%
Cumberland University 66%
Southern Adventist University 66%
Maryville College 70%
Fisk University 71%
Lee University 73%
University of Tennessee Southern 80%

Welch College 8 to 1
Rhodes College 9 to 1
Christian Brothers University 9 to 1
Tennessee Wesleyan University 10 to 1
Daymar Institute 10 to 1
Sewanee: The University of the South 10 to 1
King University 11 to 1
LeMoyne–Owen College 11 to 1
University of Tennessee Southern 12 to 1
Fisk University 12 to 1

Austin Peay State University $6,816
University of Tennessee at Martin $8,378
University of Tennessee Southern $10,200
Lane College $11,790
LeMoyne–Owen College $12,076
Bethel University $17,482
Bryan College $17,900
Welch College $20,170
Lee University $21,730
Daymar Institute $22,225

Cumberland University $7,800
Welch College $8,100
Austin Peay State University $8,226
University of Tennessee Southern $8,910
University of Tennessee at Martin $9,278
Bryan College $10,026
Freed–Hardeman University $11,430
Bethel University $11,448
Southern Adventist University $12,150
Tusculum University $13,050

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or last ground for the 2025 school year.

For 2025, the top 4 schools in Tennessee remain in the same position, while King University moves up 2, Cumberland University moves up 4, and Christian Brothers University moves up 4 positions, rounding out the top 10. Bryan College and Austin Peay State University both lost positions and moved out of the top 10 for 2025.

Table of Contents

How do we determine Tennessee's best 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.

A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified 21 liberal arts colleges in Tennessee. To be ranked among the 30 best liberal arts colleges in Tennessee, schools must fully accredited institutions.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Tennessee

Build your own college rankings

Tennessee’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines.

Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students.

Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).

Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers.

Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available.

Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online.

Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands.

Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.

Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving.

If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.

The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors.

Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Check out our directory of liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top liberal arts schools in every state.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Tennessee 2025

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Tennessee

2025 Ranking Update

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Tennessee

Career Outlook for degree at Fisk University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Rhodes College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Sewanee: The University of the South

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Tennessee at Martin

Most Influential Alumni

University of Tennessee at Martin’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Cumberland University

Most Influential Alumni

Cumberland University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at King University

Most Influential Alumni

King University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Maryville College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Lee University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Christian Brothers University

Most Influential Alumni

Christian Brothers University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at University of Tennessee Southern

Career Outlook for degree at Austin Peay State University

Most Influential Alumni

Austin Peay State University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Lane College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Tennessee Wesleyan University

Tennessee Wesleyan University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Bryan College

Most Influential Alumni

Bryan College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Southern Adventist University

Most Influential Alumni

Southern Adventist University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at LeMoyne–Owen College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Tusculum University

Most Influential Alumni

Tusculum University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Welch College

Welch College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Freed–Hardeman University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Bethel University

Bethel University ’s Online Degrees

Tennessee’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest