Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best schools in Tennessee. The average acceptance rate of best schools in Tennessee is 38.62% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 26.91%.
Vanderbilt University has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 5.86% and Vanderbilt University has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 61.23% among best schools in Tennessee. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University | 45,409 (20,851/24,553) | 2,662 (1,238/1,424) | 1,630 (744/886) | 6% (6%/6%) | 61% (60%/4%) |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 59,764 (23,936/35,827) | 24,863 (10,765/14,098) | 6,804 (3,202/3,602) | 42% (45%/39%) | 27% (30%/10%) |
| 3 | Rhodes College | 6,365 (2,797/3,459) | 3,205 (1,255/1,879) | 388 (171/210) | 50% (45%/54%) | 12% (14%/6%) |
| 4 | Union University | 1,970 (709/1,261) | 1,190 (422/768) | 358 (149/209) | 60% (60%/61%) | 30% (35%/17%) |
| 5 | Lipscomb University | 4,261 (1,637/2,624) | 2,886 (1,055/1,831) | 719 (296/423) | 68% (64%/70%) | 25% (28%/16%) |
| 6 | Freed-Hardeman University | 1,302 (484/818) | 777 (293/484) | 283 (145/138) | 60% (61%/59%) | 36% (49%/17%) |
| 7 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 10,494 (3,789/6,705) | 8,510 (3,120/5,390) | 2,489 (1,009/1,480) | 81% (82%/80%) | 29% (32%/22%) |
| 8 | Bryan College-Dayton | The school has an open admission policy. | ||||
| 9 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 2,448 (860/1,588) | 1,700 (568/1,132) | 456 (182/274) | 69% (66%/71%) | 27% (32%/17%) |
| 10 | Belmont University | 9,165 (2,829/6,336) | 8,732 (2,677/6,055) | 1,547 (539/1,008) | 95% (95%/96%) | 18% (20%/16%) |
| Average | 15,686 (6,432/6,432) | 6,058 (2,377/3,673) | 1,630 (715/914) | 38.62% (37.0%/57.1%) | 26.91% (30.1%/24.9%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best schools in Tennessee is 1250. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 632 and the average SAT Math score is 618.
Vanderbilt University has the highest SAT scores of 1,540 and Freed-Hardeman University has the lowest SAT scores of 1,020 among best schools in Tennessee. The following table compares SAT Scores between best schools in Tennessee for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University | 27% (447) | 1540 | 750 | 790 |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 24% (1,635) | 1280 | 640 | 640 |
| 3 | Rhodes College | 21% (80) | 1385 | 695 | 690 |
| 4 | Union University | 15% (52) | 1290 | 670 | 620 |
| 5 | Lipscomb University | 12% (87) | 1280 | 650 | 630 |
| 6 | Freed-Hardeman University | 11% (32) | 1020 | 513 | 507 |
| 7 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 7% (163) | 1100 | 560 | 540 |
| 8 | Bryan College-Dayton | The school has an open admission policy. | |||
| 9 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 16% (71) | 1095 | 560 | 535 |
| 10 | Belmont University | 18% (272) | 1260 | 650 | 610 |
| Average | 16.78% | 1250 | 632 | 618 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best schools in Tennessee is 26. By subject, the average ACT English score is 27 and the ACT math score is 24.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best schools in Tennessee for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University | 25% (401) | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 81% (5,507) | 28 | 28 | 26 |
| 3 | Rhodes College | 41% (158) | 29 | 31 | 26 |
| 4 | Union University | 78% (280) | 26 | 26 | 24 |
| 5 | Lipscomb University | 50% (361) | 26 | 27 | 25 |
| 6 | Freed-Hardeman University | 90% (254) | 22 | 22 | 20 |
| 7 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 94% (2,328) | 23 | 23 | 21 |
| 8 | Bryan College-Dayton | The school has an open admission policy. | |||
| 9 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 80% (367) | 21 | 21 | 19 |
| 10 | Belmont University | 37% (570) | 27 | 28 | 25 |
| Average | 64.00% | 26 | 27 | 24 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best schools in Tennessee based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 3 | Rhodes College | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 4 | Union University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 5 | Lipscomb University | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 6 | Freed-Hardeman University | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 7 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 8 | Bryan College-Dayton | The school has an open admission policy. | |||||||
| 9 | Trevecca Nazarene University | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | Belmont University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator. We compare the schools that ranked top 10 in Tennesseeand in top 500 ranking for all colleges and universities in United States.
Top Colleges By Subject
- Tightest Schools To Admit (Lowest Acceptance Rate)
- Affordable Schools To Admit (Highest Acceptance Rate)
- Most Favored Schools (Highest Yield)
- Colleges with Low Yield
- Expensive Colleges (Highest Tuition & Fees)
- Inexpensive Colleges (Lowest Tuition & Fees)
- Colleges with Most Students
- Colleges with Least Students
- Colleges with Most Online Students
- Colleges with Least Online Students
- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
- Colleges with Lowest Graduation Rates
- Low Student to Faculty Ratio
- High Student to Faculty Ratio
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.