University of Tennessee students explore campus to start fall semester
“I’m just excited to see all my friends, all my people,” one UT student told Knox News, who was on campus for the first day of classes Aug. 18, 2025.
- The University of Tennessee at Knoxville tied for the 49th spot among public universities in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
- UT’s supply chain management program ranked third nationally, while its undergraduate nursing program ranked 18th among public universities.
- The university also received high marks for innovation, value, and as a top college for veterans.
- Overall, UT tied for the 102nd spot among all national universities, both public and private.
U.S. News & World Report has awarded especially high marks to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s supply chain management and nursing programs in its 2026 Best Colleges rankings, which places UT in a tie with two SEC rivals for the 49th spot among public universities.
The 49th ranking was a slight improvement from last year when UT was ranked No. 52. In addition to tying with Auburn University, the University of Missouri and two other colleges in the public school rankings for the 2026 list, UT tied with seven universities for the 102nd overall spot (which includes both public and private schools).
UT ranked high in specific categories, including earning the 14th spot among public schools (28th overall) for innovation. Last year, UT was 24th among public schools (95th overall).
It also ranked 23rd among public schools (89th overall) in the Best Value Schools category in the 2026 rankings, as well as 48th among public universities (67th overall) in the Best College for Veterans category. The Princeton Review also considers UT a top value college.
“I’m proud of the significant jump in our innovation ranking, in part because it shows others are noticing our big ideas and creative solutions in every part of the university,” Chancellor Donde Plowman said in a news release. “We are doing things like launching the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, expanding access to education through our digital learning partnership with Arizona State University, and creating innovation districts to allow for more productive research partnerships with government and industry. All of this work is about creating opportunities for our students and for the people of Tennessee.”
University of Tennessee colleges, programs rank highly
Housed within the Haslam College of Business – itself ranked 25th among public universities (37th overall) – the supply chain management program at UT remains one of the top in the country, ranking third among national universities. It’s the sixth year in a row the program has placed in the top five nationwide. The college’s accounting program ranked 15th among public universities (30th overall), and the economics program ranked 43rd among public universities (99th overall).
The College of Nursing – which moved into the new UT Medical Nursing Building to begin the fall semester – continues to receive high rankings, with its undergraduate program ranked 18th among public universities (28th overall).
The Tickle College of Engineering also remains a top school, ranking 37th among public universities (64th overall). Earlier this year, the college’s nuclear engineering graduate program landed at the No. 2 spot among public universities and tied for No. 3 nationally.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 rankings are based on a variety of data collected to highlight colleges excelling in areas like value, social mobility and teaching. The publication ranks almost 1,500 U.S. institutions granting four-year bachelor’s degrees, 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 8.
Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.
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