* Community colleges: Tennessee has a significant number of these.
* Private colleges and universities: These range from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities.
* Technical schools: Some may consider these colleges, others may not.
* Four-year vs. two-year institutions: This is a key distinction.
To get a precise number, you'd need to define your criteria and consult a source like the Tennessee Higher Education Commission's website. However, you can safely say there are well over 100 institutions of higher education in Tennessee if you include all types.