Private Colleges in Tennessee, Ranked by Acceptance Rate

Tennessee has 23 private colleges in the CollegeCalcAI database. The most selective is Vanderbilt University at 6%; the most accessible is King University at 100%, and the median private college in the state admits 67%. 1 school admits 30% of applicants or fewer. Private colleges set their own aid policies, so the sticker price on this list says little about what a family actually pays; the acceptance rate says a lot about where to apply.

Schools

Median acceptance

67%

Most selective

Vanderbilt University

6% acceptance

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Estimated chance of admission for three typical students, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA; 2, 4 and 7 AP courses respectively; Regular Decision; no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook.

Which of the Private Colleges in Tennessee can I get into with a 3.7 GPA and a 1300 SAT?

By CollegeCalcAI's model, a student with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1300 SAT has a Likely or Safety estimate (45% or higher) at 22 of the 23 colleges here, including Fisk University, Bryan College and Rhodes College. The other 1 is a Reach. Estimates assume Regular Decision and no hook; courses, activities and essays move them.

Estimated admission chance for three student profiles at each college: 3.3 GPA, 1150 SAT; 3.7 GPA, 1300 SAT; 4.0 GPA, 1500 SAT
College	3.3 GPA1150 SAT	3.7 GPA1300 SAT	4.0 GPA1500 SAT
Vanderbilt Universityadmits 6%	6%Reach	8%Reach	12%Reach
Fisk Universityadmits 37%	56%Likely	74%Safety	85%Safety
Bryan Collegeadmits 48%	59%Likely	90%Safety	95%Safety
Rhodes Collegeadmits 50%	42%Target	82%Safety	96%Safety
Lane Collegeadmits 55%	85%Safety	95%Safety	98%Safety
Sewanee - University of the Southadmits 57%	73%Safety	96%Safety	98%Safety
Union University (TN)admits 60%	86%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Freed-Hardeman Universityadmits 60%	86%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Bethel University (TN)admits 60%	88%Safety	97%Safety	98%Safety
Lincoln Memorial Universityadmits 63%	90%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Johnson Universityadmits 65%	94%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Cumberland Universityadmits 67%	94%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Lipscomb Universityadmits 68%	86%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Trevecca Nazarene Universityadmits 69%	94%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Tennessee Wesleyan Universityadmits 69%	96%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Lee Universityadmits 71%	96%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Tusculum Universityadmits 72%	96%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Milligan Universityadmits 72%	97%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Christian Brothers Universityadmits 87%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Carson-Newman Universityadmits 90%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
Belmont Universityadmits 95%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
LeMoyne-Owen Collegeadmits 99%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety
King Universityadmits 100%	98%Safety	98%Safety	98%Safety

Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities or compare your own list with the free admissions API.

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CollegeCalcAI. "Private Colleges in Tennessee, Ranked by Acceptance Rate." 2026. https://collegecalcai.com/data/private-colleges-in-tennessee

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67%median acceptance rate, private colleges in tennessee, ranked by acceptance rate (23 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI

<a href="https://collegecalcai.com/data/private-colleges-in-tennessee?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=statcard" style="display:inline-block;padding:16px 20px;border:1px solid #E5E9F0;border-radius:14px;text-decoration:none;font-family:system-ui,sans-serif;background:#fff">67%median acceptance rate, private colleges in tennessee, ranked by acceptance rate (23 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI</a>

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Acceptance rates and admitted test ranges reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets) and are rounded. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.