Showing Tennessee college and university sites. All education sites
Public colleges and universities in Tennessee are ranked and averaged together; private nonprofit institutions are listed below with their own average.
C 70
Average readability score of 20 fully scanned Tennessee public college sites
8th
of 48 states and territories, ranked by average readability score
20 of 26
Tennessee public college sites fully scanned. We couldn't fully scan 6, so they're listed without grades
F 56
Average readability score of all 2,687 fully scanned education sites
How Tennessee readability scores are distributed
Smoothed distribution of the 20 fully scanned Tennessee public college sites, score 0 to 100. Height shows how many sites score near each value.
Distribution of 20 scores. The data table lists counts by score range.
- Tennessee average
- All education average
View the data table
| Score range | Sites |
|---|---|
| 0 to 9 | 6 |
| 10 to 19 | 0 |
| 20 to 29 | 0 |
| 30 to 39 | 0 |
| 40 to 49 | 0 |
| 50 to 59 | 0 |
| 60 to 69 | 0 |
| 70 to 79 | 0 |
| 80 to 89 | 0 |
| 90 to 100 | 14 |
Tennessee by readability grade, compared with all education sites
Share of fully scanned sites in each grade band. Tennessee: 20 sites. All education: 2687 sites.
- A (90 to 100)
- B to C (70 to 89)
- D to F (below 70)
View the data table
| Group | A (90 to 100) | B to C (70 to 89) | D to F (below 70) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 70% (14) | 0% (0) | 30% (6) |
| All education sites | 53% (1,425) | 0% (0) | 41% (1,110) |
Top 3 Tennessee public college sites by readability score
#1 in Tennessee · U.S. education rank 1
Austin Peay State University
A 100 readability
- Accessibility A
- Botability A
- Security A
- Usability F
- Readability A
#1 in Tennessee · U.S. education rank 1
Columbia State Community College
A 100 readability
- Accessibility A
- Botability C
- Security C
- Usability F
- Readability A
#1 in Tennessee · U.S. education rank 1
East Tennessee State University
A 100 readability
- Accessibility A
- Botability A
- Security D
- Usability A
- Readability A
What each check means
- Reading level. Page text reads at or below a 7th grade level so most users can understand it. Users struggle to understand your content.
Every education site with one problem
- Education websites that are hard to read: 1,110 of 2,535 fully scanned education sites (44%), with every site listed.
Tennessee public 4-year institutions by readability score
12 sites, 11 fully scanned, average readability score 73 (C). Part of the headline average.
| Rank | Site | Checks passed | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
apsu.edu
Austin Peay State University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
etsu.edu
East Tennessee State University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
mtsu.edu
Middle Tennessee State University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
tntech.edu
Tennessee Technological University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
utsouthern.edu
The University of Tennessee Southern U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
utc.edu
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
utk.edu
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
memphis.edu
University of Memphis U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 2 |
uthsc.edu
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center U.S. rank 74 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
tennessee.edu
The University of Tennessee System Office U.S. rank 24 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
utm.edu
The University of Tennessee-Martin U.S. rank 98 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
|
tnstate.edu
Tennessee State University |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We couldn't scan your site because it showed our bot a captcha or browser check instead of the page. Status 996 | - |
Tennessee public 2-year institutions by readability score
14 sites, 9 fully scanned, average readability score 67 (D). Part of the headline average.
| Rank | Site | Checks passed | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
columbiastate.edu
Columbia State Community College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
jscc.edu
Jackson State Community College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
nscc.edu
Nashville State Community College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
roanestate.edu
Roane State Community College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
southwest.tn.edu
Southwest Tennessee Community College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
ws.edu
Walters State Community College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 2 |
dscc.edu
Dyersburg State Community College U.S. rank 198 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
northeaststate.edu
Northeast State Community College U.S. rank 190 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
tbr.edu
Tennessee Board of Regents U.S. rank 184 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
|
chattanoogastate.edu
Chattanooga State Community College |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We couldn't scan your site because it showed our bot a captcha or browser check instead of the page. Status 996 | - | |
|
clevelandstatecc.edu
Cleveland State Community College |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We weren't able to fully scan your site. Status 999 | - | |
|
mscc.edu
Motlow State Community College |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We couldn't scan your site because it showed our bot a captcha or browser check instead of the page. Status 996 | - | |
|
pstcc.edu
Pellissippi State Community College |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We didn't scan your site because its robots.txt asked us not to. Status 998 | - | |
|
volstate.edu
Volunteer State Community College |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We couldn't scan your site because it showed our bot a captcha or browser check instead of the page. Status 996 | - |
Tennessee private nonprofit institutions by readability score
38 sites, 35 fully scanned, average readability score 58 (F). Ranked among themselves. Not part of the public average above.
| Rank | Site | Checks passed | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
belmont.edu
Belmont University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
bethelu.edu
Bethel University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
cn.edu
Carson-Newman University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
fisk.edu
Fisk University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
fhu.edu
Freed-Hardeman University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
johnsonu.edu
Johnson University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
lanecollege.edu
Lane College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
loc.edu
Le Moyne-Owen College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
lipscomb.edu
Lipscomb University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
maryvillecollege.edu
Maryville College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
midsouthchristian.edu
Mid-South Christian College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
mtsa.edu
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
southern.edu
Southern Adventist University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
sco.edu
Southern College of Optometry U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
tnwesleyan.edu
Tennessee Wesleyan University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
new.sewanee.edu
The University of the South U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
uu.edu
Union University U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
welch.edu
Welch College U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 1 |
mooretech.edu
William R Moore College of Technology U.S. rank 1 |
1 of 1 checks pass | A |
| 2 |
abcnash.edu
American Baptist College U.S. rank 102 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
baptistu.edu
Baptist Health Sciences University U.S. rank 90 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
bryan.edu
Bryan College-Dayton U.S. rank 62 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
king.edu
King University U.S. rank 34 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 4 |
leeuniversity.edu
Lee University U.S. rank 154 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 4 |
lmunet.edu
Lincoln Memorial University U.S. rank 184 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 4 |
memphisseminary.edu
Memphis Theological Seminary U.S. rank 142 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
ogs.edu
Omega Graduate School U.S. rank 24 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 6 |
ptseminary.edu
Pentecostal Theological Seminary U.S. rank 246 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
richmont.edu
Richmont Graduate University U.S. rank 130 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 4 |
trevecca.edu
Trevecca Nazarene University U.S. rank 172 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
vanderbilt.edu
Vanderbilt University U.S. rank 68 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
visible.edu
Visible Music College U.S. rank 24 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
| 2 |
williamsoncc.edu
Williamson Christian College U.S. rank 110 |
0 of 1 checks pass | F |
|
cbu.edu
Christian Brothers University |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We couldn't scan your site because it showed our bot a captcha or browser check instead of the page. Status 996 | - | |
| 5 |
guptoncollege.edu
John A Gupton College U.S. rank 231 |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We were able to fully scan your site. Status 200 | - |
|
milligan.edu
Milligan University |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We weren't able to fully scan your site. Status 999 | - | |
| 3 |
rhodes.edu
Rhodes College U.S. rank 141 |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We were able to fully scan your site. Status 200 | - |
|
tusculum.edu
Tusculum University |
Not fully scanned, so not graded. We couldn't fully scan your site because it responded without any page content. Status 995 | - |
About readability
Write content at a reading level most users can understand.
Why it's important
Plain language helps people understand services and procedures the first time, reducing calls, errors and office visits.
Risks
- Users cannot understand your content.
Guidance
What we use to grade readability:
- 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA)
- Automated Readability Index (ARI)
- Flesch–Kincaid readability tests
- U.S. Federal Website Standards
- Plain Writing Act of 2010
Standards
Grades/scores
ScanGov
About this ranking
About this data
ScanGov scans the homepage of each college and university site on our higher education list. Scores come from the checks in the ScanGov standards. Sites were scanned between 10/27/2026 and 11/8/2026. Each site's report shows its own scan date. A site counts as fully scanned when its homepage loaded and sent us its page content. Averages, grade shares, failure rates, and ranks use fully scanned sites only. We could not fully scan 6 sites. They did not respond, blocked the scanner, or sent no page content. They appear in the table without grades, with their scan status, and are left out of every figure. Grades follow the ScanGov grade scale. Rank follows the ScanGov ranking method. The full dataset, with every county's raw results, is in the ScanGov data repository.