24 Best Mechanical Engineering schools in Tennessee

Updated: March 02, 2025

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 752K citations received by 28.5K 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: 46%
Average SAT: 1265
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 90%

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: $26,689

3. University of Memphis

Memphis

For Mechanical Engineering

#186 in the United States

#216 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average SAT: 1055
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 97%

4. University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Memphis

For Mechanical Engineering

#197 in the United States

#227 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment: 3,121
Male:Female: 33:67
Founded: 1911

5. Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville

For Mechanical Engineering

#225 in the United States

#258 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Average SAT: 1135
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 97%

6. Johnson University

Knoxville

For Mechanical Engineering

#291 in the United States

#330 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Average SAT: 990
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $20,713

7. University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Chattanooga

For Mechanical Engineering

#306 in the United States

#345 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1095
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 95%

8. East Tennessee State University

Johnson

For Mechanical Engineering

#316 in the United States

#357 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1060
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 92%

9. Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro

For Mechanical Engineering

#342 in the United States

#384 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1115
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: 93%
Average SAT: 962
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 94%

11. University of the South

Sewanee

For Mechanical Engineering

#550 in the United States

#605 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Average SAT: 1317
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $33,616

12. King University

Bristol

For Mechanical Engineering

#597 in the United States

#656 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Net Price: $23,282
Receiving Aid: 84%
Average Aid: $24,339

13. South College

Knoxville

For Mechanical Engineering

#634 in the United States

#693 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $16,584
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $13,698

14. Austin Peay State University

Clarksville

For Mechanical Engineering

#681 in the United States

#743 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average SAT: 1054
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 98%

15. Rhodes College

Memphis

For Mechanical Engineering

#755 in the United States

#820 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1390
Average ACT: 31
Net Price: $30,590

16. Belmont University

Nashville

For Mechanical Engineering

#770 in the United States

#836 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average SAT: 1255
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $37,558

17. Meharry Medical College

Nashville

For Mechanical Engineering

#771 in the United States

#837 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 1,083
Male:Female: 31:69
Founded: 1876

18. Bryan College - Dayton

Dayton

For Mechanical Engineering

#773 in the United States

#839 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $17,105
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $12,650

19. Christian Brothers University

Memphis

For Mechanical Engineering

#779 in the United States

#845 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1170
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $17,068

20. Union University

Jackson

For Mechanical Engineering

#799 in the United States

#865 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $27,191

21. University of Tennessee - Martin

Martin

For Mechanical Engineering

#828 in the United States

#895 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1105
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 99%

22. Fisk University

Nashville

For Mechanical Engineering

#902 in the United States

#972 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Average SAT: 1320
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $19,836

23. Lee University

Cleveland

For Mechanical Engineering

#933 in the United States

#1004 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1130
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $20,222

24. Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate

For Mechanical Engineering

#1018 in the United States

#1091 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Average SAT: 1113
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $19,401

Closest to Tennessee states to learn Mechanical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Kentucky	15	58
Alabama	17	90
Georgia	29	8
Indiana	24	11
Mississippi	7	123
South Carolina	16	74
Illinois	45	6
North Carolina	27	38
Arkansas	11	136
Ohio	38	14
West Virginia	9	105
Missouri	21	51
Virginia	28	32
Louisiana	16	62
District of Columbia	8	107
Maryland	22	13
Iowa	10	40
Pennsylvania	72	12
Michigan	24	5
Florida	33	26
Wisconsin	23	10
Oklahoma	11	93
Kansas	9	101
New Jersey	20	22
New York	102	9
Minnesota	20	19
Connecticut	19	28
Nebraska	7	81
Rhode Island	7	65
Massachusetts	48	1
Texas	58	15
Vermont	4	150
South Dakota	6	304
New Hampshire	8	108
Colorado	15	47
North Dakota	4	193
Maine	8	191
New Mexico	5	98
Utah	7	44
Montana	3	187
Arizona	5	41
Idaho	4	163
Puerto Rico	7	284
California	87	2
Oregon	15	84
Washington	19	7
Alaska	3	219
Hawaii	4	127