Five Tennessee schools made the Princeton Review's list of the best colleges in the United States for 2026.
The "Best 391 Colleges" list was released Aug. 12 alongside a book by the same name by The Princeton Review. The private company, which is not affiliated with Princeton University, offers higher education services like test preparation, admissions support and popular college rankings.
The list is based on data gathered from more than 2,000 schools, surveys from more than 170,000 students nationwide and input from college advisors and admissions experts, according to the company's website. The 391 schools are not ranked in an overall list, but the company also released 50 categorical lists that did rank the schools. The lists include everything from the best campus food and dorms to academics and campus life.
More: Four Tennessee schools make 2025 best value colleges list by Princeton Review
"The colleges we profile in our 'Best Colleges' book are a truly select group. They constitute only about 15% of America's nearly 2,400 four-year institutions," Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review, said in a news release. "The colleges that make our ranking lists do so entirely as a result of their own students' opinions of them."
Here's a look at which Tennessee schools made this year's "Best 391 Colleges" list.
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Tennessee universities on the 2026 Princeton Review top colleges list
Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro)
Rhodes College (Memphis)
Vanderbilt University (Nashville)
The University of the South (Sewanee)
From 2024: See which Tennessee schools made the Princeton Review's best colleges list
Learn more
Learn more about the colleges and universities on The Princeton Review's "best 391" list and find all 50 of its categorical rankings and more at PrincetonReview.com/college-rankings.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at [email protected]. You can also find her on X or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Five TN schools make Princeton Review's best colleges list
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