Best Small Colleges in Tennessee 2024

Published: May 5, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

Small colleges in Tennessee are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

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

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

Rhodes College $50,910
Sewanee: The University of the South $49,418
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
Tennessee Wesleyan University $26,590

Rhodes College $50,600
Fisk University $21,238
Tennessee Wesleyan University $20,870
Lincoln Memorial University $19,654
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

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

Bethel University 50%
Union University 53%
Rhodes College 57%
Cumberland University 58%
Tennessee Wesleyan University 60%
Sewanee: The University of the South 60%
Fisk University 61%
King University 66%
Maryville College 68%
Lincoln Memorial University 70%

Welch College 9 to 1
Rhodes College 9 to 1
Sewanee: The University of the South 10 to 1
Daymar Institute 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

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
Daymar Institute $22,348
Fisk University $22,906
Southern Adventist University $23,210

Tusculum University $7,200
Cumberland University $7,500
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

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.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

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 small colleges and universities in Tennessee is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 24 small colleges in Tennessee. The list below of the best small colleges in Tennessee. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine Tennessee's best small 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 Small Colleges in Tennessee 2023

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Tennessee’s Best Small College 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.

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Best Small Colleges in Tennessee 2024

10 Best Small Colleges in Tennessee 2024

Colleges and Universities in Tennessee

What are Tennessee’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Small Colleges in Tennessee 2023

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 Lincoln Memorial University

Most Influential Alumni

Lincoln Memorial University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Lipscomb University

Most Influential Alumni

Lipscomb University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Bryan College

Most Influential Alumni

Bryan College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Lee University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Union University

Most Influential Alumni

Union 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 Cumberland University

Most Influential Alumni

Cumberland University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

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 Carson–Newman University

Most Influential Alumni

Carson–Newman University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Maryville College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Southern Adventist University

Most Influential Alumni

Southern Adventist University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Tennessee Wesleyan University

Tennessee Wesleyan University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Trevecca Nazarene University

Most Influential Alumni

Trevecca Nazarene University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Lane College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Welch College

Welch College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Bethel University

Bethel University ’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at LeMoyne–Owen College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Tennessee Southern

Career Outlook for degree at Freed–Hardeman University

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 Daymar Institute