Tennessee Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in Tennessee for 2025

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in Tennessee. The list is ranked by acceptance rate, lowest to highest and limited to schools which reject at least half of all applicants. Leading the list is Vanderbilt University which sent acceptance letters to only 6% of the 45,313 students who applied and rejected 94%.

Not all schools on the most selective list are overly academically challenging. Some schools with less rigorous test and high school GPA requirements may receive a large numbers of qualified applicants and the school does not have space to admit them all.

If you're looking for challenging colleges, explore rankings of Tennessee colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.
Tennessee Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

7 results

Vanderbilt University
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V
Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University

Private 4 Year

5 reviews

6% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Colleges in America

  • 13,456enrollment
  • $26,689net price
  • 1510-1560SAT range
  • 34-35ACT range
  • 3.89Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Visible Music College
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V
Memphis, TN
 

Visible Music College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

29% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 182enrollment
  • $25,502net price
  • 605-1250SAT range
  • 17-21ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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O'More College of Design
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O
Franklin, TN

O'More College of Design

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

31% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 157enrollment
  • $26,987net price
  • -SAT range
  • 18-22ACT range
  • 3.78Avg GPA

Applications Due Jul 31

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Aquinas College
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A
Nashville, TN

Aquinas College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 342enrollment
  • $20,892net price
  • 1100-1370SAT range
  • 21-28ACT range
  • 3.55Avg GPA

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The University of Tennessee
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T
Knoxville, TN

The University of Tennessee

Public 4 Year

4 reviews

46% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Public Universities in Tennessee

  • 36,304enrollment
  • $20,885net price
  • 1190-1340SAT range
  • 25-31ACT range
  • 3.66Estimated Avg GPA

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Union University
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U
Jackson, TN

Union University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

47% Acceptance Rate

#4 Best Private Colleges in Tennessee

  • 2,674enrollment
  • $27,191net price
  • 1030-1340SAT range
  • 22-29ACT range
  • 3.8Avg GPA

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Rhodes College
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R
Memphis, TN

Rhodes College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

50% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Colleges in Tennessee

  • 1,952enrollment
  • $30,590net price
  • 1290-1490SAT range
  • 28-33ACT range
  • 3.99Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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