The University of Tennessee at Martin rose seven spots from last year in the Regional Universities-South category in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges rankings released this week. The university went from 27th last year to a tie for 20th place in the new rankings that included 135 regional southern universities. Universities are ranked by U.S. News based on their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.
In other U.S. News rankings in the Regional Universities-South category, UT Martin was tied for 8th in Top Public Schools and 7th in the Best Colleges for Veterans. The university finished alone in 24th place in the Best Value Schools category.
“Rankings are one way to measure the quality of higher education institutions, and I’m pleased that UT Martin has improved in several categories in the latest U.S. News rankings,” said Dr. Yancy Freeman, university chancellor. “Our successful fall enrollment shows that more people are looking to UT Martin to deliver the best educational experience possible.”
In the online programs category, UT Martin tied for 51st place nationally in Best Online MBA Programs, tied for 63rd in best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs, and tied for 170th in Best Online Master’s in Education Programs. According to U.S. News, more than 1,800 online programs were surveyed to determine the latest rankings.
These rankings follow the August announcement that UT Martin is listed as a Best Regional College by The Princeton Review for the 22nd year.
UT Martin’s fall enrollment reached 7,507 students, the highest enrollment at the university since 2012. This compares to 6,950 students who registered in fall 2023, which is an 8% increase. The freshman class totaled 1,220 students, up from 1,118 first-year students who enrolled in fall 2023.
UT Martin is a primary regional campus in the University of Tennessee System offering bachelor’s degrees, majors, concentrations and options in more than 150 specialized fields as well as eight graduate degrees. In addition to the main campus, the university has six regional centers in Jackson, Parsons, Selmer, Ripley, Somerville and Springfield. UT Martin Online offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, including the online Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree for working adults. Learn more at www.utm.edu.
