Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
University of Tennessee-Knoxville graduates experience steady earnings growth throughout their early career progression. Median earnings advance from $47,782 at six years to $54,188 at eight years and $60,249 at ten years after initial enrollment, representing 26.1% total growth from the six-year benchmark.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings align with peer institutions — outcomes are in line with similar schools.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $20,500 in debt with typical earnings.
University of Tennessee-Knoxville graduates carry median debt of $20,500, which ranks at the 66th percentile nationally and remains $500 below the peer median of $20,000. Debt levels range from $6,398 at the 25th percentile to $25,000 at the 75th percentile, showing reasonable variation in borrowing patterns among students.
University of Tennessee-Knoxville delivers return performance around the national average, ranking at the 53.8th percentile with typical performance. Despite graduates earning $60,249 ten years after enrollment—placing them at the 72nd percentile nationally—the institution generates $17,099 in earnings below expectations relative to student academic credentials and program mix.
Approximately 28.0% of University of Tennessee-Knoxville graduates continue to graduate or professional study, based on high-confidence program mix an...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Engineering and technology programs drive University of Tennessee-Knoxville's strongest return outcomes, with Computer Science producing $90,584 in median earnings and Mechanical Engineering generating $80,833. Business programs also deliver solid returns, particularly Accounting at $71,799 and Business Administration at $68,864 with large enrollment scales.
These high-earning programs help elevate overall institutional performance despite more modest outcomes in humanities and social sciences, where English graduates earn $39,381 and Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies produces $37,520. The concentration of strong outcomes in technical and business fields reflects labor market demand and industry growth patterns, creating program-level variation that influences overall institutional return performance.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
Earnings distribution at University of Tennessee-Knoxville shows meaningful variation in graduate outcomes across career paths and program choices. The range from $39,008 at the 25th percentile to $88,456 at the 75th percentile creates a 2.3:1 ratio between higher and lower earners.
