Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Richard G. Rhoda, Executive Director

Welcome to the website of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Through this medium, THEC members and staff hope to provide useful information to prospective students regarding the vast offerings of the colleges and universities in Tennessee. Another objective of the site is to provide higher education statistics and policy analysis that may be meaningful to the policy community.

THEC is honored to serve as the coordinating body for the 51 public colleges, universities, and technology centers, which collectively educate approximately 245,000 students. In addition, the Commission enjoys a working relationship with over 36 independent institutions that educate almost 71,000 students. Beyond degree-credit instruction, the public and private institutions provide essential public services and conduct research that benefits the entire state. This web site directly links to institutions' websites and provides an interactive map including their respective locations.

This is a tremendously exciting period in Tennessee higher education. Postsecondary education has never been of greater importance to the well-being of individuals, their families, their communities, and the State of Tennessee. In the last several years, the lottery scholarship has enabled thousands of students to pursue an education beyond high school. Tennessee is committed to making postsecondary education available to all of its citizens, expanding access to a greater number of students, and assisting our citizens in reaching their educational goals.

We hope this website is responsive to your information needs and that your visit is productive. Please contact the Commission staff if we may provide additional assistance to you.

Sincerely,

Richard G. Rhoda