26 Best colleges for Optical Engineering 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 Optical Engineering. A graph of 1.46M citations received by 44.1K academic papers made by 26 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

#64 in the United States

#71 in North America

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

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#67 in the United States

#75 in North America

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

3. University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#177 in the United States

#205 in North America

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

4. University of Memphis

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#210 in the United States

#238 in North America

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

5. Johnson University

Knoxville

For Optical Engineering

#272 in the United States

#307 in North America

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

6. Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville

For Optical Engineering

#308 in the United States

#348 in North America

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

7. Fisk University

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#322 in the United States

#364 in North America

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

8. East Tennessee State University

Johnson

For Optical Engineering

#332 in the United States

#376 in North America

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

9. Tennessee State University

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#354 in the United States

#399 in North America

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

10. Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro

For Optical Engineering

#378 in the United States

#425 in North America

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

11. University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Chattanooga

For Optical Engineering

#396 in the United States

#443 in North America

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

12. Southern College of Optometry

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#510 in the United States

#564 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Enrollment: 530
Male:Female: 32:68
Founded: 1932

13. King University

Bristol

For Optical Engineering

#518 in the United States

#572 in North America

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

14. University of the South

Sewanee

For Optical Engineering

#528 in the United States

#582 in North America

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

15. Meharry Medical College

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#556 in the United States

#610 in North America

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

16. South College

Knoxville

For Optical Engineering

#628 in the United States

#684 in North America

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

17. Rhodes College

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#681 in the United States

#739 in North America

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

18. Austin Peay State University

Clarksville

For Optical Engineering

#719 in the United States

#781 in North America

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

19. Union University

Jackson

For Optical Engineering

#731 in the United States

#793 in North America

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

20. Milligan College

Milligan College

For Optical Engineering

#754 in the United States

#816 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1201
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $21,165

21. Lee University

Cleveland

For Optical Engineering

#873 in the United States

#938 in North America

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

22. Belmont University

Nashville

For Optical Engineering

#909 in the United States

#974 in North America

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

23. Bryan College - Dayton

Dayton

For Optical Engineering

#910 in the United States

#975 in North America

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

24. Christian Brothers University

Memphis

For Optical Engineering

#953 in the United States

#1020 in North America

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

25. University of Tennessee - Martin

Martin

For Optical Engineering

#986 in the United States

#1053 in North America

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

26. Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate

For Optical Engineering

#998 in the United States

#1065 in North America

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

Closest to Tennessee states to learn Optical Engineering

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Kentucky	12	85
Alabama	19	88
Georgia	26	14
Indiana	23	23
Mississippi	10	137
South Carolina	15	81
Illinois	41	8
North Carolina	24	32
Arkansas	11	114
Ohio	40	27
West Virginia	7	119
Missouri	18	48
Virginia	30	52
Louisiana	19	79
District of Columbia	8	94
Maryland	21	11
Iowa	11	46
Pennsylvania	68	18
Michigan	26	5
Florida	31	30
Wisconsin	23	16
Oklahoma	11	97
Kansas	9	99
New Jersey	18	15
New York	92	9
Minnesota	19	25
Connecticut	18	29
Nebraska	7	83
Rhode Island	6	59
Massachusetts	50	2
Texas	55	13
Vermont	4	148
South Dakota	7	246
New Hampshire	8	95
Colorado	16	33
North Dakota	3	193
Maine	7	183
New Mexico	6	70
Utah	7	36
Montana	3	147
Arizona	5	20
Idaho	4	166
Nevada	3	126
Puerto Rico	9	264
California	80	1
Oregon	15	84
Washington	17	10
Alaska	3	201
Hawaii	4	124