Tennessee, known to many as the home of country music, is a state full of top-notch colleges that boast all the best in academics, arts, and athletics. There are several notable musics, music business, and production degree programs offered at the colleges within this state, especially in Music City, aka Nashville. Enjoy exploring these location-unique program options, as well as the big college football scene within the state, the flagship university in Tennessee (U of TN) having a highly followed rivalry with another TN school, Vanderbilt.
Any student group of prospective college-goers will love this state’s many college campus visit opportunities, with options to please everyone in the group from small liberal arts schools to research universities, to large scale athletic led programs! Did we mention this state also offers some of the best in live music, local foods, gorgeous mountain-filled scenery, and vibrant Southern culture overall?
- University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Ranked #103 National University - 21,664 Enrollment
This is the flagship campus of the flagship university in all of Tennessee, Knoxville’s own University of Tennessee. Here students find plenty of options for athletics with a football team in NCAA Division 1 Southeast Conference, socializing with over 40 different greek organizations, and, of course, academics, with such amazing onsite schools as a business, law, engineering, education, health, and human sciences. Students really enjoy the urban, 560-acre campus, first created in 1794, as well as the partnerships with the Space Institute and US Department of Energy for research!
Famous Alumni: Peyton Manning, Reggie White
- University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Ranked #58 Regional University - 10,315 Enrollment
Still the flagship university of the state, but this time with a different campus in Chattanooga, you will find our second Tennessee college choice, the University of Tennessee. This public school holds 134 gorgeous urban city acres, a really great option for over ten thousand undergraduates per year. This campus was established in 1886 and has since seen excellent academics, as well as athletics again (football), an easily affordable $8,000 schooling option for in-state locals!
- Vanderbilt University
Ranked #15 National University - 6,851 Enrollment
Perhaps one of the most well-known universities in the state of Tennessee is Vanderbilt University, Music City’s own private urban school that ranks as #15 in national universities overall. Created in 1873, this school sees about seven thousand students a year, each having plenty of social opportunities (40% Greek involvement), study abroad chances (35% participate, over 35 countries), and amazing academics. Choose between 10 different schools from humanities to engineering, music to management, and then enjoy your Friday night football rivalries within the NCAA Division 1 Southeast conference!
Famous Alumni: Jay Cutler, James Patterson, Ann Moore
- Aquinas College
Ranked #19 Regional University - 415 Enrollment
This next option is really small but really strong academically, the comparably tiny Aquinas college, with only 415 undergraduates typically enrolled at one time. Ranked #19 in the region, this private Roman Catholic school has an urban setting with over 83 beautiful acres. One interesting thing about this school is that while 61% of applicants are accepted, another 79% of those are female! This is the perfect choice for religious students serious about their education, the entire establishment going above and beyond to ensure well-informed and well-educated graduates!
- Belmont University
Ranked #5 Regional University - 5,837 Enrollment
Belmont University, located in Nashville, is an urban school of about six thousand undergraduates and 75 green campus acres, the entire private school is ranked #5 in the region. Students here have over 80 choices in degrees, plus 20 for grad programs, and then the seemingly endless options for sports, greek organizations, and student government positions. Belmont is a Christian affiliated school and boasts a heavy entertainment industry focus, great for music business and development. The Bruins also play in the NCAA Division 1 Ohio Valley Conference.
Famous Alumni: Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack, Brad Paisley
- Tennessee Tech University
Ranked #35 Regional University - 10,314 Enrollment
Weighing in at #35 we have our final choice for campuses to tour in Tennessee, the Tennessee Technical University in Cookeville. This 1915 established public school takes pride in it’s 235 rural acres, as well as it’s around ten thousand undergraduates per year that get to partake in some of the best local academics possible!