Cost & financial aid brief
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does The University of Tennessee-Knoxville cost after financial aid?
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville publishes a sticker cost of $33,678, but the average aid recipient pays $18,976 — an average net price, what students pay after grants and scholarships. Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,702 against the sticker total.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $11,560 and required fees of $2,464 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $14,738. Out-of-state students faced a published tuition of $31,672.
The average net price moves from $10,029 for families earning under $30,000 to $12,162 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $18,206 for $48,001–$75,000, $23,627 for $75,001–$110,000, and $25,688 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,659, a difference of averages that reflects the largest discounts going to the lowest-income families.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville publishes a cost of attendance of $33,678. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—varies with family income.
For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $10,029; for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) it is $18,206; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $25,688. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,659.
Azimuth ranks the university #555 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,702 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $18,976, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,342. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $20,500.
That median is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions. About 82.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
For parent borrowers, the median Parent PLUS borrowing is $30,610. If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $20,500. 82.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $20,076, and the university’s median is above it, with a gap of $424. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $30,610.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 40% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $34,133 per borrower. This includes 38% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $18,172 per federal borrower.
Private loans were held by 12% of graduates, averaging $57,382 per private borrower.
The return picture at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is mixed: graduates earn a solid median wage but fall short of what expects for similar students. Four years after completion, the median earnings are $67,631, which places the university in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That figure sits above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,021. However, graduates earn about $7,740 less than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 26th percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios from the program mix show a typical earnings level of $67,631, with a downside scenario of $50,756 and an upside scenario of $89,938. The spread between those scenarios reflects the range of outcomes tied to different fields of study.
Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $20,500, which is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
A solid median wage and moderate debt point in one direction, but the shortfall against the earnings model pulls the other way.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $30,610. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $233.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $30,610
- Estimated parent payment
- $389/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 22.9% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 10.3% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 4.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.2% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $30,610
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $389/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $622/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $67,631, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.4% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
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.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.