24 Best Mechanical Engineering schools in Tennessee

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Tennessee ranked based on their research performance in Mechanical Engineering. A graph of 796K citations received by 29K academic papers made by 24 universities in Tennessee was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Knoxville

For Mechanical Engineering

#52 in the United States

#60 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1285
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 96%

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville

For Mechanical Engineering

#60 in the United States

#68 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $25,186

3. University of Memphis

Memphis

For Mechanical Engineering

#186 in the United States

#216 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1048
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 95%

4. University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Memphis

For Mechanical Engineering

#196 in the United States

#226 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment: 3,101
Male:Female: 33:67
Founded: 1911

5. Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville

For Mechanical Engineering

#223 in the United States

#256 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1179
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 97%

6. Johnson University

Knoxville

For Mechanical Engineering

#290 in the United States

#329 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 1035
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $22,615

7. University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Chattanooga

For Mechanical Engineering

#305 in the United States

#344 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 1112
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 96%

8. East Tennessee State University

Johnson

For Mechanical Engineering

#316 in the United States

#357 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1090
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 94%

9. Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro

For Mechanical Engineering

#345 in the United States

#387 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Average SAT: 1120
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 96%

10. Tennessee State University

Nashville

For Mechanical Engineering

#426 in the United States

#474 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Average SAT: 965
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 75%

11. University of the South

Sewanee

For Mechanical Engineering

#559 in the United States

#614 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1325
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $34,815

12. King University

Bristol

For Mechanical Engineering

#590 in the United States

#648 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $22,748
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $26,366

13. South College

Knoxville

For Mechanical Engineering

#633 in the United States

#692 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $17,588
Receiving Aid: 91%
Average Aid: $14,208

14. Austin Peay State University

Clarksville

For Mechanical Engineering

#686 in the United States

#748 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average SAT: 985
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 99%

15. Belmont University

Nashville

For Mechanical Engineering

#743 in the United States

#807 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1255
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $38,578

16. Rhodes College

Memphis

For Mechanical Engineering

#763 in the United States

#829 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1393
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $31,037

17. Bryan College - Dayton

Dayton

For Mechanical Engineering

#765 in the United States

#831 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $18,159
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $13,271

18. Meharry Medical College

Nashville

For Mechanical Engineering

#770 in the United States

#836 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 1,226
Male:Female: 32:68
Founded: 1876

19. Christian Brothers University

Memphis

For Mechanical Engineering

#780 in the United States

#846 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1200
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $16,754

20. Union University

Jackson

For Mechanical Engineering

#804 in the United States

#870 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $28,452

21. University of Tennessee - Martin

Martin

For Mechanical Engineering

#809 in the United States

#875 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1090
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 99%

22. Fisk University

Nashville

For Mechanical Engineering

#905 in the United States

#976 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 37%
Average SAT: 1325
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $18,595

23. Lee University

Cleveland

For Mechanical Engineering

#919 in the United States

#990 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1135
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $20,416

24. Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate

For Mechanical Engineering

#1019 in the United States

#1092 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average SAT: 1105
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $21,447

Closest to Tennessee states to learn Mechanical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Kentucky	15	59
Alabama	17	90
Georgia	28	8
Indiana	24	10
Mississippi	7	123
South Carolina	16	74
Illinois	45	6
North Carolina	27	38
Arkansas	12	135
Ohio	38	14
West Virginia	9	105
Missouri	21	51
Virginia	29	32
Louisiana	16	61
District of Columbia	8	107
Maryland	22	13
Iowa	10	40
Pennsylvania	72	12
Michigan	24	5
Florida	33	26
Wisconsin	23	11
Oklahoma	11	93
Kansas	9	101
New Jersey	20	22
New York	103	9
Minnesota	21	20
Connecticut	18	28
Nebraska	7	81
Rhode Island	7	65
Massachusetts	48	1
Texas	59	15
Vermont	4	150
South Dakota	6	298
New Hampshire	8	108
Colorado	15	46
North Dakota	4	190
Maine	8	191
New Mexico	6	100
Utah	7	44
Montana	3	188
Arizona	6	42
Idaho	4	163
Puerto Rico	7	283
California	87	2
Oregon	15	84
Washington	20	7
Alaska	3	220
Hawaii	4	126