29 Best colleges for Linguistics 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 Linguistics. A graph of 1.45M citations received by 43.3K 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 Linguistics

#45 in the United States

#50 in North America

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

2. University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Knoxville

For Linguistics

#65 in the United States

#77 in North America

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

3. University of Memphis

Memphis

For Linguistics

#122 in the United States

#141 in North America

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

4. University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Memphis

For Linguistics

#198 in the United States

#229 in North America

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

5. Johnson University

Knoxville

For Linguistics

#288 in the United States

#323 in North America

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

6. East Tennessee State University

Johnson

For Linguistics

#292 in the United States

#327 in North America

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

7. Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro

For Linguistics

#349 in the United States

#390 in North America

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

8. University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Chattanooga

For Linguistics

#350 in the United States

#391 in North America

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

9. Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville

For Linguistics

#438 in the United States

#484 in North America

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

10. University of the South

Sewanee

For Linguistics

#509 in the United States

#562 in North America

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

11. Rhodes College

Memphis

For Linguistics

#534 in the United States

#588 in North America

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

12. Tennessee State University

Nashville

For Linguistics

#563 in the United States

#618 in North America

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

13. King University

Bristol

For Linguistics

#593 in the United States

#650 in North America

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

14. South College

Knoxville

For Linguistics

#648 in the United States

#706 in North America

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

15. Meharry Medical College

Nashville

For Linguistics

#671 in the United States

#730 in North America

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

16. Union University

Jackson

For Linguistics

#758 in the United States

#822 in North America

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

17. Belmont University

Nashville

For Linguistics

#807 in the United States

#873 in North America

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

18. University of Tennessee - Martin

Martin

For Linguistics

#864 in the United States

#933 in North America

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

19. Bryan College - Dayton

Dayton

For Linguistics

#866 in the United States

#935 in North America

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

20. Austin Peay State University

Clarksville

For Linguistics

#893 in the United States

#963 in North America

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

21. Lee University

Cleveland

For Linguistics

#907 in the United States

#979 in North America

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

22. Christian Brothers University

Memphis

For Linguistics

#1074 in the United States

#1149 in North America

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

23. Lipscomb University

Nashville

For Linguistics

#1093 in the United States

#1168 in North America

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

24. Maryville College

Maryville

For Linguistics

#1101 in the United States

#1176 in North America

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

25. Lincoln Memorial University

Harrogate

For Linguistics

#1151 in the United States

#1229 in North America

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

26. Fisk University

Nashville

For Linguistics

#1212 in the United States

#1291 in North America

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

27. Carson-Newman University

Jefferson City

For Linguistics

#1214 in the United States

#1293 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1085
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $20,895

28. Milligan College

Milligan College

For Linguistics

#1249 in the United States

#1329 in North America

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

29. Welch College

Gallatin

For Linguistics

#1273 in the United States

#1354 in North America

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

Closest to Tennessee states to learn Linguistics

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Kentucky	19	68
Alabama	22	80
Georgia	37	44
Indiana	31	34
Mississippi	11	180
South Carolina	20	79
Illinois	62	9
North Carolina	34	27
Arkansas	16	148
Ohio	51	22
West Virginia	13	116
Missouri	32	37
Virginia	39	43
Louisiana	20	82
District of Columbia	8	57
Maryland	26	13
Iowa	20	35
Pennsylvania	90	8
Michigan	30	4
Florida	39	36
Wisconsin	27	16
Oklahoma	15	117
Kansas	10	75
New Jersey	24	23
New York	117	7
Minnesota	25	26
Connecticut	20	11
Nebraska	10	105
Rhode Island	9	61
Massachusetts	60	2
Texas	68	18
Vermont	7	123
South Dakota	8	338
New Hampshire	11	83
Colorado	18	51
North Dakota	5	213
Maine	9	220
New Mexico	8	98
Utah	10	48
Montana	4	218
Arizona	9	30
Idaho	7	202
Nevada	5	143
Puerto Rico	10	501
California	111	1
Oregon	16	89
Washington	23	6
Alaska	3	332
Hawaii	6	107