Tennessee Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 34 private colleges in Tennessee with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. Vanderbilt University leads the list by accepting 6% of high school students that applied.

Acceptance rate is a measure of the competitiveness of a school. Lower acceptance rates are more competitive and may require a higher GPA, SAT/ACT score, and other factors to be considered for admission.

List of Tennessee Private Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate

Nashville, Tennessee

6%

Memphis, Tennessee

28%

Nashville, Tennessee

37%

Memphis, Tennessee

50%

Sewanee, Tennessee

57%

McKenzie, Tennessee

60%

Henderson, Tennessee

60%

Jackson, Tennessee

60%

Maryville, Tennessee

61%

Harrogate, Tennessee

63%

Knoxville, Tennessee

65%

Collegedale, Tennessee

65%

Lebanon, Tennessee

67%

Nashville, Tennessee

68%

Athens, Tennessee

69%

Nashville, Tennessee

69%

Cleveland, Tennessee

71%

Greeneville, Tennessee

72%

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.