据了解，美国宪法规定，各州政府负责注册并审批各类高等院校，但各院校是否被社会所认可则取决于政府承认的认证机构的认证。

　　美国高等院校包括公立与私立两种。主要实行二年学制或四年学制，二年制的多为技术专科学校和社区学院。据统计，目前美国各类高等院校有3600多所。

　　美国高等院校的质量认证一般由专业认证机构负责，经美国教育部认可的专业认证机构主要有六大区域认证机构及近百个专业认证机构。联邦政府通过认证机构间接起到对各院校的管理与规范。全美高等教育认证委员会（CHEA）是协调并审核认证机构的专业机构。 通过区域性认证协会或其它专业认证机构的认证，各院校可实现学分相互转换，所颁发的学位证书或文凭证书能获得社会的广泛认可。

　　2012年美国田纳西州教育部批准境外正规高校名单：

　　Tennessee

　　Academy of Beauty Arts (Cleveland)

　　American Baptist College (Nashville)

　　Aquinas College (Nashville)

　　Arnold‘s Beauty School (Milan)

　　Austin Peay State University (Clarksville)

　　Baptist Memorial College of Health Sciences (Memphis)

　　The Beauty Institute (Memphis)

　　Belmont University (Nashville)

　　Bethel College (McKenzie)

　　Bryan College (Dayton)

　　Buchanan Beauty College (Shelbyville)

　　Career Beauty College (Lawrenceburg)

　　Carson-Newman College (Jefferson City)

　　Chattanooga State Technical Community College (Chattanooga)

　　Christian Brothers University (Memphis)

　　Church of God Theological Seminary (Cleveland)

　　Cleveland State Community College (Cleveland)

　　Columbia State Community College (Columbia)

　　Concorde Career College (Memphis)

　　Crichton College (Memphis)

　　Cumberland University (Lebanon)

　　Draughons Junior College (Clarksville)

　　Draughons Junior College (Nashville)

　　Dyersburg State Community College (Dyersburg)

　　East Tennessee State University (Johnson City)

　　Electronic Computer Programming College (Chattanooga)

　　Elite College of Cosmetology (Lexington)

　　Emmanuel School of Religion (Johnson City)

　　Fayetteville Beauty School (Fayetteville)

　　Fisk University (Nashville)

　　Fountainhead College of Technology (Knoxville)

　　Free Will Baptist Bible College (Nashville)

　　Freed-Hardeman University (Henderson)

　　Glyn Ed Newton & Associates, Inc. (Nashville)

　　Harding University Graduate School of Religion (Memphis)

　　High-Tech Institute (Nashville)

　　Hiwassee College (Madisonville)

　　ITT Technical Institute (Knoxville)

　　ITT Technical Institute (Memphis)

　　ITT Technical Institute (Nashville)

　　Jackson State Community College (Jackson)

　　Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center (Bristol)

　　John A. Gupton College (Nashville)

　　Johnson University(Knoxville)

　　Jon Nave University of Cosmetology Inc. (Nashville)

　　King College (Bristol)

　　Knox International 2000 Beauty College (Chattanooga)

　　Lambuth University (Jackson)

　　Lane College (Jackson)

　　Lee University (Cleveland)

　　LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis)

　　Lincoln Memorial University (Harrogate)

　　Lipscomb University (Nashville)

　　Martin Methodist College (Pulaski)

　　Maryville College (Maryville)

　　McCollum & Ross, The Hair School (Jackson)

　　MedVance Institute (Cookeville)

　　Meharry Medical College (Nashville)

　　Memphis College of Art (Memphis)

　　Memphis Institute of Barbering Inc. (Memphis)

　　Memphis Theological Seminary (Memphis)

　　Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (Germantown)

　　Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia (Madison)

　　Middle Tennessee School of Cosmetology (Cookeville)

　　Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro)

　　Miller-Motte Technical College (Chattanooga)

　　Miller-Motte Technical College (Clarksville)

　　Milligan College (Milligan College)

　　Mister Wayne’s School of Unisex (Cookeville)

　　Motlow State Community College (Lynchburg)

　　Nashville Auto Diesel College (Nashville)

　　Nashville College of Medical Careers (Madison)

　　Nashville State Technical Community College (Nashville)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Knoxville)

　　National College of Business and Technology (Nashville)

　　Nave Cosmetology Academy, Inc. (Nashville)

　　New Concepts School of Cosmetology (Cleveland)

　　New Directions Hair Academy (Nashville)

　　New Wave Hair Academy (Memphis)

　　North Central Institute (Clarksville)

　　Northeast State Technical Community College (Blountville)

　　Nossi College of Art (Goodlettsville)

　　O‘More College of Design (Franklin)

　　Pellissippi State Technical Community College (Knoxville)

　　Plaza Beauty School (Memphis)

　　Pyramid Beauty School (Memphis)

　　Queen City College (Clarksville)

　　Remington College-Memphis Campus (Memphis)

　　Reuben Allen College (Knoxville)

　　Rhodes College (Memphis)

　　Roane State Community College (Harriman)

　　Shear Academy (Crossville)

　　South College (Knoxville)

　　Southeastern Career College - Nashville (Nashville)

　　Southern Adventist University (Collegedale)

　　Southern College of Optometry (Memphis)

　　Southern Institute of Cosmetology (Memphis)

　　Southwest Tennessee Community College (Memphis)

　　Stylemasters Beauty Academy (Lebanon)

　　Styles & Profiles Beauty College (Selmer)

　　Temple Baptist Seminary (Chattanooga)

　　Tennessee Academy of Cosmetology (Memphis)

　　Tennessee Career College (Nashville)

　　Tennessee School of Beauty Inc. (Knoxville)

　　Tennessee State University (Nashville)

　　Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Athens (Athens)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Covington (Covington)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Crossville (Crossville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Crump (West Crump)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson (Dickson)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton (Elizabethton)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman (Harriman)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Hartsville (Hartsville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Hohenwald (Hohenwald)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Jacksboro (Jacksboro)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Jackson (Jackson)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Knoxville (Knoxville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Livingston (Livingston)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie (McKenzie)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at McMinnville (McMinnville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Memphis (Memphis)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Morristown - Branch Campus (Surgoinsville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Morristown (Morristown)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Murfreesboro (Murfreesboro)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Nashville (Nashville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Newbern (Newbern)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Oneida/Huntsville (Huntsville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Paris (Paris)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Pulaski (Pulaski)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Ripley (Ripley)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Shelbyville (Shelbyville)

　　Tennessee Technology Center at Whiteville (Whiteville)

　　Tennessee Temple University (Chattanooga)

　　Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens)

　　TLC NuWave School of Cosmetology (Clarksville)

　　Trevecca Nazarene University (Nashville)

　　Tusculum College (Greeneville)

　　Union University (Jackson)

　　The University of Memphis (Memphis)

　　University of the South School of Theology (Sewanee)

　　University of the South (Sewanee)

　　The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Chattanooga)

　　The University of Tennessee (Knoxville)

　　The University of Tennessee at Martin (Martin)

　　Vanderbilt University Divinity School (Nashville)

　　Vanderbilt University (Nashville)

　　Vatterott College-Memphis Campus (Memphis)

　　Volunteer Beauty Academy (Dyersburg)

　　Volunteer Beauty Academy of Lawrenceburg (Nashville)

　　Volunteer Beauty Academy (Madison)

　　Volunteer State Community College (Gallatin)

　　Walters State Community College (Morristown)

　　West Tennessee Business College (Jackson)

　　William R. Moore College of Technology (Memphis)

　　Williamson Christian College (Franklin)

　　World Class University (Nashville)