If you pursue a degree in general education, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #31 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in Tennessee to determine which ones were the best for general education students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 554 degrees in general education to qualified students.
Your choice of general education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall General Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best General Education Schools in Tennessee list, to help you choose the best school for you.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The schools below may not offer all types of general education degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
Every student pursuing a degree in general education needs to look into The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville. A Best Colleges rank of #226 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.
There were roughly 32 general education students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year.
Cumberland University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in general education. CU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the fringe town of Lebanon. A Best Colleges rank of #1255 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 25 general education students who graduated with this degree at CU in the most recent data year.
Enhance your career as a teacher or administrator or prepare to advance to a leadership position within your school with this specialized online MEd from Southern New Hampshire University.
Austin Peay State University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in general education. Located in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1456 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Austin Peay State University is a great university overall.
There were approximately 39 general education students who graduated with this degree at Austin Peay State University in the most recent year we have data available.
It is hard to beat Milligan University if you wish to pursue a degree in general education. Milligan is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized suburb of Milligan. This university ranks 31st out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were roughly 10 general education students who graduated with this degree at Milligan in the most recent data year.
Located in the distant town of Harriman, Roane State Community College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 36th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were roughly 41 general education students who graduated with this degree at Roane State Community College in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the rural area of Tullahoma, Motlow is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 34th out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were about 27 general education students who graduated with this degree at Motlow in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the distant town of Greeneville, Tusculum is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 38th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were roughly 89 general education students who graduated with this degree at Tusculum in the most recent data year.
Learn how strategic leadership, data-driven resource management and a culture centered on student success can enhance colleges and universities with this online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Pellissippi State Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Knoxville. A Best Colleges rank of #1261 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pellissippi State Community College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 24 general education students who graduated with this degree at Pellissippi State Community College in the most recent data year.
One of 0 majors within the General Education area of study, General Education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Notes and References
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Your choice of general education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall General Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
