New rankings have brought the University of Tennessee at Knoxville down a few spots, making it a harder hill for the university to climb in order to break into the top 100.
U.S. News & World Report released its new rankings Sept. 22 for its best colleges list for 2027, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology taking the overall No. 1 spot among national universities.
UT is tied for No. 109 in its national ranking, which includes private schools, which means it moved down seven spots compared to last year's rankings.
However, UT stayed in the top 50 among public universities. The No. 50 rank marks a one spot slide compared to last year.
UT did jump up 12 spots to No. 77 nationally on the best value schools list, plus a No. 14 spot among best value public
universities. U.S. News & World Report added a new category this year called Best Value Schools for In-State Students, with UT coming in at the No. 61 spot on the inaugural list.
“It's gratifying to see our state's flagship and land-grant university be recognized for the value that we bring to all and especially to Tennesseans. Our outstanding faculty and dedicated staff work hard every day to make our world-class education accessible,” Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick said in a news release. “We remain committed to continuing our rise here on Rocky Top so that we can bring our innovative educational programs and life-changing research to all the people we serve.”
Other rankings for University of Tennessee programs
Other national rankings for the university:
- Innovative schools – down to No. 42 (No. 18 among public schools)
- Undergraduate business programs at Haslam College of Business – down two spots to tie at No. 39 (No. 25 among public schools)
- Accounting down to No. 43 (No. 18 among public schools)
- Supply Chain Management steady at No. 3 overall
- Economics – jumped up 11 spots to No. 88 (No. 36 among public schools)
- Computer science – Fell four spots to No. 75 (No. 40 among public schools)
- Undergraduate engineering programs (doctorate) at the Tickle College of Engineering – Fell three spots to No. 67 (No. 37 among public schools)
- Nursing programs at the College of Nursing – Fell eight spots to No. 36 (No. 27 among public schools)
- Psychology – Fell 30 spots to No. 143 (No. 77 among public schools)
- Best colleges for Veterans – Fell five spots to No. 72 (No. 50 among public schools)
- Top Performers on Social Mobility – Rose four spots to No. 290 (No. 152 among public schools)
There are seven Southeastern Conference schools above UT on the overall list:
- Vanderbilt University – No. 16
- University of Texas at Austin – No. 34 (No. 8 among public schools)
- University of Florida – No. 34 (No. 8 among public schools)
- University of Georgia – No. 52 (No. 19 among public schools)
- Texas A&M University – No. 59 (No. 24 among public schools)
- University of Missouri – No. 95 (No. 43 among public schools)
- Auburn University – No. 100 (No. 46 among public schools)
U.S. News & World Report's Methodology, University of Tennessee's focus
U.S. News & World Report's 2027 rankings are based on a variety of data collected to highlight colleges excelling in areas like value, social mobility and teaching. The publication ranks more than 1,700 U.S. institutions granting four-year bachelor's degrees using 17 factors, and the full list can be found at usnews.com/education. The publication releases different lists throughout the year, like the Best Graduate Schools, which published April 9.
A couple of changes this year include adding an earnings by major factor, which replaces a graduate debt factor. It also expanded the eligible institutions.
UT leaders have said they aren't solely focused on driving up rankings, but rather other metrics of student success. This year, the university has improved its retention rate to a record 93.1%, along with the four-year graduation rate to 71.4% and the six-year graduation rate to 76.6%.
Chancellor Donde Plowman is working on increasing the six-year graduation rate to 80% by 2030, as well as the rate at which Pell Grant receiving students graduate to 72%. The initiative is part of her "Next Level" plans for UT.
The university has a record enrollment of 41,287 students in-person and online for the fall 2026 semester.
Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email: keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: See the new University of Tennessee rankings from US News & World Report
