Tennessee Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate

Below is a ranking of the 9 public colleges in Tennessee with the lowest acceptance rate for freshman undergraduate applications. The University of Tennessee Knoxville leads the list by accepting 42% 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 Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest Acceptance Rate
College Acceptance Rate
42%

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

69%

Nashville, Tennessee

70%

Memphis, Tennessee

72%

Cookeville, Tennessee

76%
81%

Johnson City, Tennessee

86%
88%

Clarksville, Tennessee

96%

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.