25 Best colleges for Optical Engineering 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 Optical Engineering. A graph of 1.39M citations received by 43.5K academic papers made by 25 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 Optical Engineering

#65 in the United States

#72 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Average SAT: 1265
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 90%

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#68 in the United States

#76 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $26,689

3. University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#177 in the United States

#205 in North America

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

4. University of Memphis

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#211 in the United States

#240 in North America

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

5. Johnson University

Knoxville

For Optical Engineering

#273 in the United States

#308 in North America

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

6. Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville

For Optical Engineering

#307 in the United States

#346 in North America

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

7. Fisk University

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#322 in the United States

#364 in North America

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

8. East Tennessee State University

Johnson

For Optical Engineering

#330 in the United States

#374 in North America

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

9. Tennessee State University

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#357 in the United States

#402 in North America

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

10. Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro

For Optical Engineering

#381 in the United States

#428 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1115
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 96%

11. University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Chattanooga

For Optical Engineering

#395 in the United States

#442 in North America

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

12. Southern College of Optometry

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#509 in the United States

#563 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Enrollment: 525
Male:Female: 31:69
Founded: 1932

13. University of the South

Sewanee

For Optical Engineering

#527 in the United States

#581 in North America

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

14. King University

Bristol

For Optical Engineering

#529 in the United States

#583 in North America

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

15. Meharry Medical College

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#570 in the United States

#624 in North America

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

16. South College

Knoxville

For Optical Engineering

#613 in the United States

#669 in North America

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

17. Rhodes College

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#679 in the United States

#737 in North America

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

18. Union University

Jackson

For Optical Engineering

#718 in the United States

#780 in North America

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

19. Austin Peay State University

Clarksville

For Optical Engineering

#721 in the United States

#783 in North America

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

20. Milligan College

Milligan College

For Optical Engineering

#741 in the United States

#803 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Average SAT: 1205
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $21,463

21. Lee University

Cleveland

For Optical Engineering

#874 in the United States

#939 in North America

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

22. Belmont University

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#903 in the United States

#968 in North America

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

23. Bryan College - Dayton

Dayton

For Optical Engineering

#915 in the United States

#980 in North America

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

24. Christian Brothers University

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#952 in the United States

#1019 in North America

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

25. University of Tennessee - Martin

Martin

For Optical Engineering

#981 in the United States

#1048 in North America

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

Closest to Tennessee states to learn Optical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Kentucky	12	83
Alabama	19	88
Georgia	26	15
Indiana	22	23
Mississippi	9	137
South Carolina	15	81
Illinois	40	8
North Carolina	24	33
Arkansas	11	114
Ohio	40	27
West Virginia	7	118
Missouri	18	48
Virginia	30	51
Louisiana	19	78
District of Columbia	8	94
Maryland	21	11
Iowa	11	45
Pennsylvania	68	18
Michigan	26	5
Florida	31	30
Wisconsin	23	16
Oklahoma	11	96
Kansas	9	98
New Jersey	18	14
New York	92	9
Minnesota	19	25
Connecticut	18	29
Nebraska	7	86
Rhode Island	6	59
Massachusetts	50	2
Texas	55	13
Vermont	4	147
South Dakota	7	246
New Hampshire	7	95
Colorado	16	32
North Dakota	3	195
Maine	7	184
New Mexico	6	70
Utah	7	36
Montana	3	146
Arizona	5	20
Idaho	4	167
Puerto Rico	9	264
California	79	1
Oregon	15	85
Washington	17	10
Alaska	3	201
Hawaii	4	125