29 Best colleges for Archaeology 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 Archaeology. A graph of 1.29M citations received by 43.5K academic papers made by 29 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville

For Archaeology

#60 in the United States

#69 in North America

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

2. University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Knoxville

For Archaeology

#63 in the United States

#74 in North America

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

3. University of Memphis

Memphis

For Archaeology

#169 in the United States

#195 in North America

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

4. University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Memphis

For Archaeology

#227 in the United States

#258 in North America

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

5. East Tennessee State University

Johnson

For Archaeology

#289 in the United States

#329 in North America

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

6. Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro

For Archaeology

#334 in the United States

#378 in North America

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

7. University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Chattanooga

For Archaeology

#353 in the United States

#398 in North America

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

8. Johnson University

Knoxville

For Archaeology

#374 in the United States

#419 in North America

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

9. Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville

For Archaeology

#379 in the United States

#424 in North America

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

10. King University

Bristol

For Archaeology

#448 in the United States

#498 in North America

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

11. Tennessee State University

Nashville

For Archaeology

#460 in the United States

#511 in North America

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

12. University of the South

Sewanee

For Archaeology

#494 in the United States

#547 in North America

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

13. Rhodes College

Memphis

For Archaeology

#507 in the United States

#560 in North America

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

14. Belmont University

Nashville

For Archaeology

#703 in the United States

#770 in North America

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

15. Austin Peay State University

Clarksville

For Archaeology

#720 in the United States

#787 in North America

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

16. Lee University

Cleveland

For Archaeology

#824 in the United States

#893 in North America

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

17. University of Tennessee - Martin

Martin

For Archaeology

#842 in the United States

#912 in North America

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

18. South College

Knoxville

For Archaeology

#862 in the United States

#934 in North America

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

19. Meharry Medical College

Nashville

For Archaeology

#866 in the United States

#938 in North America

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

20. Bryan College - Dayton

Dayton

For Archaeology

#972 in the United States

#1046 in North America

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

21. Union University

Jackson

For Archaeology

#1003 in the United States

#1078 in North America

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

22. Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate

For Archaeology

#1052 in the United States

#1127 in North America

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

23. Maryville College

Maryville

For Archaeology

#1084 in the United States

#1159 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Net Price: $21,469
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $33,153

24. Lipscomb University

Nashville

For Archaeology

#1096 in the United States

#1171 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $27,695

25. Christian Brothers University

Memphis

For Archaeology

#1126 in the United States

#1203 in North America

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

26. Milligan College

Milligan College

For Archaeology

#1205 in the United States

#1284 in North America

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

27. Fisk University

Nashville

For Archaeology

#1237 in the United States

#1318 in North America

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

28. Welch College

Gallatin

For Archaeology

#1301 in the United States

#1386 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $21,157
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $15,462

29. Baptist Memorial College of Health Sciences

Memphis

For Archaeology

#1321 in the United States

#1407 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Average ACT: 20
Net Price: $11,348
Receiving Aid: 100%

Closest to Tennessee states to learn Archaeology

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Kentucky	21	61
Alabama	24	99
Georgia	37	35
Indiana	31	31
Mississippi	11	140
South Carolina	23	74
Illinois	65	10
North Carolina	38	30
Arkansas	16	128
Ohio	52	19
West Virginia	15	90
Missouri	34	45
Virginia	40	40
Louisiana	22	73
District of Columbia	9	59
Maryland	26	16
Iowa	22	43
Pennsylvania	90	13
Michigan	31	4
Florida	45	20
Wisconsin	28	12
Oklahoma	15	88
Kansas	11	81
New Jersey	23	25
New York	121	6
Minnesota	26	15
Connecticut	20	11
Nebraska	11	57
Rhode Island	9	65
Massachusetts	64	2
Texas	68	22
Vermont	9	122
South Dakota	8	229
New Hampshire	10	84
Colorado	19	46
North Dakota	5	190
Maine	12	159
New Mexico	7	92
Utah	10	44
Montana	4	143
Arizona	8	26
Idaho	6	146
Nevada	6	121
Puerto Rico	11	389
California	111	1
Oregon	16	54
Washington	26	5
Alaska	4	144
Hawaii	6	83