"Tennessee State" redirects here. For the U.S. state, see Tennessee.
Not to be confused with East Tennessee State University.
Tennessee State University
Public, historically black land-grant university
EstablishedJune 19, 1912 (age 114)
AccreditationSACS
Endowment$91.1 million (2021)[1]
PresidentDwayne Tucker
ProvostRobbie K. Melton
Faculty443 full-time & 169 part-time[2]
Students8,198 (fall 2023)[3]
Undergrad6,765 (fall 2023)
CityNashville
StateTennessee
CountryUnited States
Coor36°10′00″N 86°49′50″W
CampusLarge city
Former namesTennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes (1912–1925)
Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal College (1925–1927)
Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College (1927–1968)
ColorsBlue and white[4]
 
Sports nicknameTigers and Lady Tigers
Athletics affiliationsNCAA Division I – OVC
Academic affiliationORAU · TMCF
Websitewww.tnstate.edu
Tennessee State University Historic District
Nocatyes
Location3500 John A. Merritt Blvd
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
ArchitectMarr & Holman, et al.
AddedJune 14, 1996
Refnum96000677

Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.[7] Tennessee State University offers 41 bachelor's degrees, 23 master's degrees, and eight doctoral degrees.[8][9] It is classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[10]

History

The university was established as the Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes in 1912.[11][12] Its dedication was held on January 16, 1913.[11] It changed its name to Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal College in 1925.[11] Two years later, in 1927, it became known as Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College.[11]

In 1941, the Tennessee General Assembly directed the Board of Education to upgrade the educational program of the college. Three years later the first master's degrees were awarded and by 1946 the college was fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[13]

Significant expansion occurred during the presidency of Walter S. Davis between 1943 and 1968. The postwar period resulted in the construction of "70 percent of the school's facilities" and the establishment of the graduate school and four other schools.[14]

In 1968, the college officially changed its name to Tennessee State University. In 1979, the University of Tennessee at Nashville merged into Tennessee State due to a court mandate.[13] The merger was part of the settlement of the Geier vs. Tennessee law suit.[15]

In 2022, Tennessee State University was awarded $250 million from the state legislature. The funds were intended to upgrade facilities and academic programs on campus.[16] At the time of the award, the $250 million investment was the largest single investment into a historically black institution in the history of the country.[17]

In 2023, Tennessee State's most well known graduate, Oprah Winfrey, served as the official commencement speaker for the first time.[18]

On March 28, 2024, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation that removed all of the school's board of trustees and replaced them with new members, subject to legislative confirmation. Characterizing the school as a “remarkable institution” he said, “I’m pleased to appoint these highly qualified individuals who will work alongside administrators and students to further secure TSU’s place as a leading institution.”

State legislation authorizing the governor to vacate the board of trustees was prompted by the numerous instances of financial and procedural mismanagement uncovered in recent school audits. Representative Ryan Williams specifically noted that the $250 million appropriation made by the legislature in 2022 was “completely blown through” and not used for infrastructure improvements as intended.[19][20]

Tennessee State University is divided into 10 schools and colleges and has seen steady growth since its inception. It remains the only public university in Nashville. Its health science program is the largest in the state and one of the largest in the nation.[21]

Campus

The 500 acres (2.0 km2) main campus has more than 65 buildings, and is located in a residential setting at 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessee State's main campus has the most acres of any college campus in Nashville. The Avon Williams campus is located downtown, near the center of the Nashville business and government district. Tennessee State offers on-campus housing to students. There are on-campus dorms and two apartment complexes for upperclassmen. On-campus facilities include dormitories Wilson Hall, Watson Hall, Eppse Hall, Boyd Hall, Rudolph Hall, Hale Hall, as well as the Ford Complex and New Residence Complex, TSU's two on-campus apartment complexes.

Academics

Tennessee State University
Usnwr nu29 in Historically Black Colleges and Universities; 392-434 in National Universities [5]
Wamo nu100 [6]

The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degree.[22] It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[23]

The university is organized into the following schools and colleges:

  • College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Sciences[24]
  • College of Business[25]
  • College of Education[26]
  • College of Engineering[27]
  • College of Health Sciences[28]
  • College of Liberal Arts[29]
  • College of Life and Physical Sciences[30]
  • College of Public Service[31]
  • University Honors College[32]
  • School of Graduate and Professional Studies[33]

The College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). It was the first institution in Nashville to earn the accreditation of both its undergraduate and graduate business programs in 1994. The psychology program is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Programs in the College of Engineering are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT). The Master of Public Health program was accredited in 2015 by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).[34]

Student life

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023[35]
Race and ethnicityTotal
Black
White
Hispanic
Two or more races
International student
Unknown
Asian
Economic diversity
Low-income[a]
Affluent[b]

Athletics

Main article: Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers

Tennessee State University sponsors seven men's and eight women's teams in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanctioned sports.[36] The school competes in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). As a member of the OVC, Tennessee State is one of three Division I HBCU athletic programs that are not members of either the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) or Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), whose members are primarily HBCU institutions. TSU has a rivalry with Tennessee Tech and Kentucky State University.

Student organizations

There are over 60 registered student organizations on campus including the Student Government Association, Aristocrat of Bands (AOB), and many Greek-lettered organizations.[37]

Notable faculty

See also

References

  1. ^ As of March 7, 2022. HBCU Money's 2021 Top 10 HBCU Endowments. The Tennessee Tribune. March 7, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "College Navigator - Tennessee State University"
  3. ^ "Tennessee State Fall 2022 Enrollment"
  4. ^ "Tennessee State University Style Guide". Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "Tennessee State University". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  6. ^ "2018 National Universities Rankings". Washington Monthly. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  7. ^ "Member-Schools". Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  8. ^ "Undergraduate Programs". Tennessee State University. 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  9. ^ "Tennessee State University - Graduate Degrees and Programs". collegetuitioncompare.com. College Tuition Compare. 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  10. ^ "Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup". carnegieclassifications.iu.edu. Center for Postsecondary Education. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Lovett, Bobby L. "Tennessee State University". The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee Press. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  12. ^ Lamon, Lester C. (Spring 1973). "The Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial Normal School: Public Higher Education for Black Tennesseans". Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 32 (1): 42–58. JSTOR 42623357
  13. ^ "Tennessee State University (1912- )". www.blackpast.org. The Black Past. January 5, 2010.
  14. ^ "Black History Month: Walter Davis helped build TSU while president". The Tennessean. February 11, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  15. ^ Siner, Emily (15 December 2025). "The Debt: Almost 60 Years Ago, a Court Case at Tennessee State University Transformed Higher Education in the State". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Tennessee State University outlines spending plans for $250M from state". January 16, 2023.
  17. ^ "$250M goes to TSU for infrastructure projects, none used to add on-campus housing". January 17, 2023.
  18. ^ .https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/staff/2023/05/06/what-did-oprah-winfrey-say-at-tennessee-state-universitys-graduation/70163963007/#:~:text=Oprah%20Winfrey%20delivered%20a%20hopeful,lawmakers%20as%20examples%20to%20all.
  19. ^ Kruesi, Kimberlee (March 28, 2024). "Tennessee politicians strip historically Black university of its board". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  20. ^ Bunn, Curtis. "Tennessee lawmakers dismantle HBCU’s board of trustees, to the dismay of students and alumni". NBC News. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  21. ^ University, Tennessee State. "Academic Programs". www.tnstate.edu
  22. ^ "Division of Academic Affairs". Tennessee State University. January 2, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  23. ^ "Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education". Indiana University. 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  24. ^ "College of Agriculture". Tennessee State University. June 4, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  25. ^ "College of Business". Tennessee State University. August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  26. ^ "College of Education". Tennessee State University. July 30, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  27. ^ "College of Engineering". Tennessee State University. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  28. ^ "College of Health Sciences". Tennessee State University. July 10, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  29. ^ "College of Liberal Arts". Tennessee State University. July 5, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  30. ^ "College of Life and Physical Sciences". Tennessee State University. April 17, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  31. ^ "College of Public Service". Tennessee State University. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  32. ^ "University Honors Program". Tennessee State University. October 31, 1995. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  33. ^ "Graduate School - TSU". www.tnstate.edu. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
  34. ^ "Master of Public Health Program at Tennessee State University Receives Full Accreditation". Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  35. ^ "College Scorecard: Tennessee State University". College Scorecard. United States Department of Education. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  36. ^ "Official Site of Tennessee State Athletics". TSUTigers.com. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  37. ^ "Student Organizations". www.tnstate.edu

Further reading

  • Lovett, Bobby L. A Touch of Greatness: A History of Tennessee State University (Mercer University Press, 2012) 340 pp.
  1. ^ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  2. ^ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.