First-year retention rates measure the percentage of first-year students who come back to campus for a second year. This is an indicator of how happy students are generally with their decision to attend that institution as less students decide to drop out or transfer to another school.
| Rank | Institution | First Year Retention Rate | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Your Est. Net Price Avg. Net Price | Median Starting Salary | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University | 96 | 5.86 | 1,500 – 1,560 | 26689 | 73909 |
#1
Vanderbilt University
|
| 2 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 91.9 | 41.6 | 1,210 – 1,390 | 20885 | 47782 |
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
|
| 3 | Rhodes College | 91.21 | 49.68 | 1,290 – 1,430 | 30590 | 48898 |
Rhodes College
|
| 4 | Union University | 89.35 | 60.16 | 1,120 – 1,380 | 27191 | 45505 |
Union University
|
| 5 | The University of the South | 88.9 | 56.9 | 1,230 – 1,400 | 33616 | 53456 |
The University of the South
|
| 6 | Belmont University | 87 | 95.28 | 1,180 – 1,370 | 37558 | 42770 |
Belmont University
|
| 7 | Freed-Hardeman University | 84.86 | 90.61 | 1,080 – 1,280 | 18267 | 40086 |
#7
Freed-Hardeman University
|
| 8 | Lipscomb University | 83 | 67.74 | 1,090 – 1,350 | 27386 | 50454 |
Lipscomb University
|
| 9 | Bethel University | 82.6 | 97.17 | 1,040 – 1,310 | 20606 | 38990 |
#9
Bethel University
|
| 10 | Fisk University | 82 | 57.91 | 990 – 1,260 | 19836 | 33604 |
#10
Fisk University
|
| 11 | Lee University | 82 | 70.52 | 1,040 – 1,270 | 20222 | 38082 |
Lee University
|
| 12 | Milligan University | 81 | 70.27 | 1,080 – 1,340 | 21463 | 43168 |
Milligan University
|
| 13 | Southern Adventist University | 79.1 | 66.61 | 980 – 1,280 | 25374 | 44818 |
#13
Southern Adventist University
|
| 14 | University of Memphis | 77.4 | 72.03 | 970 – 1,180 | 13656 | 40921 |
University of Memphis
|
| 15 | Middle Tennessee State University | 77 | 68 | 1,010 – 1,240 | 12700 | 39941 |
Middle Tennessee State University
|
| 16 | Nossi College of Art and Design | 77 | 43.27 | -- | 23745 | 28099 |
Nossi College of Art and Design
|
| 17 | Tennessee Technological University | 77 | 83.16 | 1,040 – 1,280 | 15138 | 43759 |
Tennessee Technological University
|
| 18 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | 76.96 | 88.2 | 1,010 – 1,210 | 11151 | 38863 |
The University of Tennessee-Martin
|
| 19 | Tennessee Wesleyan University | 75.3 | 59.41 | 970 – 1,180 | 16414 | 45987 |
Tennessee Wesleyan University
|
| 20 | Christian Brothers University | 75 | 86.7 | 1,020 – 1,200 | 17068 | 48592 |
Christian Brothers University
|
| 21 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | 74 | 77.02 | 1,040 – 1,210 | 13801 | 42209 |
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
|
| 22 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 73 | 69.44 | 980 – 1,190 | 16222 | 46065 |
Trevecca Nazarene University
|
| 23 | East Tennessee State University | 72 | 87.06 | 1,010 – 1,240 | 16033 | 38704 |
#23
East Tennessee State University
|
| 24 | Maryville College | 71 | 60.92 | 1,040 – 1,300 | 20990 | 39305 |
Maryville College
|
| 25 | Lincoln Memorial University | 69.5 | 62.6 | 980 – 1,190 | 19401 | 45242 |
#25
Lincoln Memorial University
|
| 26 | Johnson University | 68.21 | 53.77 | 1,010 – 1,180 | 20713 | 35649 |
#26
Johnson University
|
| 27 | Austin Peay State University | 66.14 | 96.38 | -- | 14679 | 38779 |
Austin Peay State University
|
| 28 | Welch College | 66.13 | 57.91 | 930 – 1,210 | 19214 | 34190 |
#28
Welch College
|
| 29 | Bryan College-Dayton | 66 | 97.17 | 980 – 1,190 | 17105 | 45559 |
#29
Bryan College-Dayton
|
| 30 | Cumberland University | 62 | 67 | 1,040 – 1,210 | 17669 | 52246 |
Cumberland University
|
| 31 | King University | 60.1 | 99.72 | 930 – 1,140 | 23282 | 52248 |
King University
|
| 32 | Tusculum University | 55 | 60.42 | 930 – 1,140 | 22961 | 39925 |
Tusculum University
|
| 33 | Le Moyne-Owen College | 48 | 97.17 | 800 – 930 | 8362 | 25992 |
Le Moyne-Owen College
|
| 34 | South College | 35 | 54.39 | -- | 16584 | 37570 |
#34
South College
|
| 35 | Tennessee State University | 33.5 | 70.18 | 890 – 1,070 | 9231 | 34160 |
Tennessee State University
|
| 36 | Baptist Health Sciences University | 0 | 67.76 | 1,010 – 1,210 | 15395 | 59224 | |
| 37 | Carson-Newman University | 0 | 90.45 | 1,010 – 1,210 | 19755 | 39324 | |
| 38 | Galen Health Institutes-Nashville Campus | 0 | 0 | -- | 25441 | 58951 | |
| 39 | Lane College | 0 | 54.39 | 800 – 930 | 13384 | 24623 | |
| 40 | Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga | 0 | 95.44 | -- | 25215 | 26349 | |
| 41 | SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville | 0 | 61.18 | -- | 20409 | 51697 | |
| 42 | Strayer University-Tennessee | 0 | 0 | -- | 18466 | 36582 | |
| 43 | The University of Tennessee Health Science Center | 0 | 90 | -- | 0 | 68668 | |
| 44 | The University of Tennessee Southern | 0 | 82.71 | 1,030 – 1,160 | 15642 | 36151 | |
| 45 | Visible Music College | 0 | 28.68 | -- | 25726 | 32345 |
School data is from 2022–2023 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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