Admissions & selectivity
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s reported acceptance rate is 41.6%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 41.6%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville admits 41.6% of applicants, a rate well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 53,841 applicants, 23,464 admitted students, and 7,143 enrolled first-year students.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled The University of Tennessee-Knoxville students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported an SAT range of 1280 to 1380 among enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. Just 25% of the entering class submitted SATs, so the range reflects a limited share of the cohort.
Among ACT submitters, who made up 80% of enrolled first-year students, the middle half landed between 26 and 31. These ranges capture where enrolled submitters scored, not the threshold for admission.
Of enrolled first-year students who reported a class rank, 47% finished in the highest tenth of their high school class and 77% in the upper fourth. Applicants can weigh their own scores against the university's SAT and ACT ranges, remembering these describe enrolled students rather than a cutoff.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
25% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1280
- Median
- 1330
- 75th percentile
- 1380
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
80% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 26
- Median
- 29
- 75th percentile
- 31
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18.9%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 19.2%
- First-year retention
- 91.9%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville enrolls 30,418 undergraduates, and its admission rate of 41.6% sits well below the peer median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Pell Grant recipients make up 18.9% of undergraduates, and an estimated 19.2% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 3,597 transfer applicants, 3,168 admitted transfer students, and 1,778 enrolled transfer students. These figures show a campus where a substantial share of students arrive after starting college elsewhere, alongside a traditional first-year class.
Pell-eligible and transfer applicants should connect early with the university's advising and financial aid offices to learn what support resources are available.
Students who enroll at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville complete at rates that sit above the medians for comparable institutions. The first-year retention rate is 91.9%, against a peer median of 83.1%.
The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 73.9%, above its peer median of 65.0%. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a retention rate of 92% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class.
Pell Grant recipients complete at a lower rate. Their six-year completion rate is 63.4%, which is 10.5 percentage points below the overall rate.
Enrolled students can expect a campus where most peers persist, though the gap for Pell recipients is a fact worth knowing.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.