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

Milligan, Tennessee

72%
82%

Memphis, Tennessee

87%
87%

Jefferson City, Tennessee

90%

Nashville, Tennessee

95%

Memphis, Tennessee

99%

Nashville, Tennessee

100%

Dayton, Tennessee

100%

Cleveland, Tennessee

100%

Gallatin, Tennessee

100%

Bristol, Tennessee

100%

Jackson, Tennessee

100%

Franklin, Tennessee

100%

Memphis, Tennessee

100%
100%

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.