In-state vs. out-of-state tuition at Tennessee
Tennessee charges $13,812 a year in published tuition and fees for Tennessee residents, about $6,906 a semester, and $33,256 a year for students from other states, about $16,628 a semester, a difference of $19,444. About 36% of first-year students came from out of state. You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships. Compare out-of-state tuition at 100 public universities →
How Tennessee's admissions have changed
Tennessee received 53,841 first-year applications for fall 2025, 2.9 times the 18,872 it received for fall 2017. Admitted students grew more slowly, from 14,526 to 23,464, so the acceptance rate fell from 77% to 44%.
For fall 2025, UT Knoxville admitted 72.8% of Tennessee residents and 35.1% of out-of-state applicants, according to its Common Data Set.
The chart shows the acceptance rate for all first-year applicants: in-state, out-of-state and international together. Fall 2017–2024: IPEDS (first-year applicants and admits). Fall 2025: UT Knoxville's Common Data Set 2025–26, which may define applicants slightly differently. A falling acceptance rate mostly reflects more applications, not a smaller class. Acceptance rates are a starting point, not a prediction.
What makes Tennessee different
- Supply chain. The Haslam College of Business graduates more students in supply chain management than in any other major.
- A national lab partner. UT helps manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which opens research opportunities in science and engineering.
- Near the mountains. Knoxville sits on the Tennessee River, about an hour from the Great Smoky Mountains.
What Tennessee students study
The most common bachelor's degrees (class of 2024): supply chain management (391), marketing (365), psychology (341), finance (305), nursing (256) and exercise science (253). Source: IPEDS Completions, first majors only.
You may thrive at Tennessee if…
- You're interested in business, logistics, science or engineering.
- You'd enjoy a city campus close to the outdoors.
- You want a large university with strong school spirit.
Worth asking about
- What research opportunities at Oak Ridge are open to undergraduates?
- How do students enter the Haslam College of Business?
How Tennessee compares with the other SEC schools
Tennessee stands out in the SEC for supply chain management and its national lab partnership. See how the 16 SEC schools differ.
FAQ
What is Tennessee's acceptance rate? 43.6% for fall 2025: 23,464 of 53,841 first-year applicants were admitted, according to its Common Data Set 2025–26. Source For fall 2024 it was 41.6%.
What is Tennessee's out-of-state acceptance rate? 35.1% for fall 2025, compared with 72.8% for Tennessee residents. Tennessee admitted 14,526 of 41,408 out-of-state applicants and 8,725 of 11,980 Tennessee residents, according to UT Knoxville's Common Data Set for 2025–26. Source International applicants are counted separately. Out-of-state tuition and fees are $33,256 a year before aid; you may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships. Compare out-of-state acceptance rates at public universities →
What is Tennessee known for? Supply chain management, its link to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and its Smoky Mountains setting.
How much does Tennessee cost? Published tuition and fees are $13,812 a year in-state and $33,256 out-of-state, before any aid.
How much is UT Knoxville tuition per semester? About $6,906 a semester for Tennessee residents and $16,628 for out-of-state students, based on published yearly tuition and fees of $13,812 and $33,256 before aid.
Is UT Knoxville an R1 university? Yes. In the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is an R1 university, the group with the highest research spending and doctoral degrees. What R1 means →
How many students go to UT Knoxville? About 30,400 undergraduates (fall 2024).
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