Best Engineering Colleges in Tennessee (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 10 schools in Tennessee for Engineering by median earnings of Engineering graduates four years after completing. Vanderbilt University holds the top spot.
Across the 8 schools with a published median, the figures range from $93,990 at Lipscomb University to $61,764, with a median of $87,420. For 1 of the 10 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 70% of the list, with 7 schools alongside 3 private nonprofits. Vanderbilt University ranks 62nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its six-year completion rate of 94% is the highest on the page. Christian Brothers University posts the lowest average net price at $9,854.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Engineering Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University · Nashville, TN | No published median | $15,846 | $3,414 | 5.9% |
| Vanderbilt University, a private nonprofit university in Nashville, reports a six-year completion rate of 94% and an admission rate of 6%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (52 graduates), Biomedical/Medical Engineering (50 graduates), Engineering Science (37 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Chemical Engineering ($121,641), Biomedical/Medical Engineering ($116,662), Mechanical Engineering ($101,345) | |||||
| 2 | Lipscomb University · Nashville, TN | $93,990 | $24,739 | $20,048 | 67.7% |
| Lipscomb University posts median earnings of $93,990 for its Engineering graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $24,739. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (23 graduates), Civil Engineering (12 graduates), Computer Engineering (11 graduates) | |||||
| 3 | Middle Tennessee State University · Murfreesboro, TN | $92,533 | $13,359 | $9,289 | 69.1% |
| Graduates of Middle Tennessee State University earn a median of $92,533 four years after completing, and the school's average net price is $13,359. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering (44 graduates) | |||||
| 4 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga · Chattanooga, TN | $89,316 | $14,265 | $9,876 | 81.1% |
| The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga admits 81% of applicants and reports median earnings of $89,316 for its Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (54 graduates), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (40 graduates), Civil Engineering (24 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Chemical Engineering ($92,511), Civil Engineering ($91,615), Mechanical Engineering ($89,407) | |||||
| 5 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville · Knoxville, TN | No published median | $18,976 | $10,029 | 41.6% |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville ranks 132nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows a six-year completion rate of 74%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (186 graduates), Civil Engineering (67 graduates), Chemical Engineering (64 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Industrial Engineering ($107,093), Nuclear Engineering ($99,139), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($93,642) | |||||
| 6 | University of Memphis · Memphis, TN | $87,732 | $12,397 | $10,607 | 72.0% |
| With an average net price of $12,397, University of Memphis reports median earnings of $87,732 for its Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Biomedical/Medical Engineering (49 graduates), Mechanical Engineering (48 graduates), Civil Engineering (24 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Engineering ($89,702), Mechanical Engineering ($89,516), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($89,515) | |||||
| 7 | Tennessee Technological University · Cookeville, TN | $87,108 | $14,246 | $9,815 | 76.1% |
| Tennessee Technological University graduates 58% of its students within six years and reports median earnings of $87,108 for its Engineering graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (131 graduates), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (66 graduates), Civil Engineering (60 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Computer Engineering ($98,978), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering ($94,179), Chemical Engineering ($91,580) | |||||
| 8 | The University of Tennessee-Martin · Martin, TN | $87,043 | $10,701 | $7,151 | 88.2% |
| The University of Tennessee-Martin reports median earnings of $87,043 for its Engineering graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $10,701. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Engineering, General (19 graduates), Mechanical Engineering (10 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Engineering, General ($87,043) | |||||
| 9 | Christian Brothers University · Memphis, TN | $85,285 | $9,854 | $9,466 | 86.7% |
| Christian Brothers University reports median earnings of $85,285 for its Engineering graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 87%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Mechanical Engineering (18 graduates), Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (11 graduates), Civil Engineering (8 graduates) | |||||
| 10 | Tennessee State University · Nashville, TN | $61,764 | $15,796 | $15,005 | 70.1% |
| Tennessee State University reports median earnings of $61,764 for its Engineering graduates two years after completing, the only school on this list with a two-year figure. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (17 graduates), Mechanical Engineering (16 graduates), Architectural Engineering (13 graduates) | |||||
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only schools with a reported Engineering earnings cohort in Tennessee appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 1 of the 10 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 8 schools with a published figure. The spread from Vanderbilt University to the bottom of the list reaches $32,226.
Job market context in Tennessee
The field of Engineering in Tennessee is linked to occupations such as Industrial Engineers, Engineers, All Other, and Civil Engineers. The median annual wage across those occupations is $102,614, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $79,307. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 13.6% higher, with 4,430 projected openings a year, or about 256 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupation-wide wages shown here.