NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Every year, WalletHub ranks colleges and universities across the U.S. on a number of metrics to determine their overall best. The results are in, but where did Tennessee's higher education institutions fall for the 2026 ranking?

WalletHub looked at student selectivity, cost & financing, faculty resources, campus safety, campus experience, education outcomes and career outcomes for 719 higher education institutions across the U.S.

Of all the Tennessee colleges and universities evaluated by WalletHub, Vanderbilt University came in the highest at 21. The Nashville-based university was also ranked among the top 50 for student selectivity, faculty resources, campus experience, education outcomes and career outcomes. However, Vanderbilt found itself near the bottom for cost & financing and campus safety at 741 and 749 respectively.

The 10 top colleges and universities in the state for 2026 are:

WalletHub also highlighted two Tennessee institutions among their lowest colleges and universities — including MTSU. Although MTSU was the ninth-highest institution in the state, it was ranked 783 overall for its percentage of international students.

Johnson University was ranked the lowest for return on educational investment, per WalletHub.

You can explore an interactive map of all the institutions evaluated by WalletHub below:

To view the full ranking, click here.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/tn-college-uni-ranking-2026/