University of Tennessee at Knoxville projects breaking enrollment record (again) in 2024

Keenan Thomas, Knoxville News Sentinel
·2 min read

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is projecting another record-breaking enrollment for the fall 2024 semester.

The UT Advisory Board at its Nov. 3 meeting saw projections that 38,203 will attend UT Knoxville in fall 2024, an increase of 1,899 students from this semester.

The projected number of first-year students for fall 2024 is 6,900, along with 1,600 transfer students.

Fall 2023's enrollment of 36,304 students broke records, despite the university admitting fewer first-year students. The retention rate for first-year students is at 91.1%, which is one reason why enrollment continues to increase.

More than 49,000 prospective students have submitted first-year applications for next fall, and a majority of those applications are from outside Tennessee, according to information shared at the advisory board meeting.

Students are applying from all 95 counties in Tennessee and every state in the U.S.. For admittance during the fall 2023 semester, 50,488 prospective students applied.

A view of the pedestrian bridge during the first day of the fall semester on the University of Tennessee's campus in Knoxville on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
A view of the pedestrian bridge during the first day of the fall semester on the University of Tennessee's campus in Knoxville on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

UT guaranteed admissions policy already qualifying Tennessee seniors

UT approved a guaranteed admissions policy earlier this year for top-ranking high school seniors from public and private schools in Tennessee. This policy will start with the fall 2024 semester and requires students to meet at least one of two criteria:

  • Finish in the top 10% of their graduating high school class

  • Achieve a 4.0 grade-point average (GPA)

UT Chattanooga, UT Martin and UT Southern have an additional way to qualify:

  • Achieve a 3.2 GPA and a composite ACT score of 23 or higher (or an SAT score of 1130-1150 or higher)

Data is still being acquired by UT for the top 10%, but Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Kari Alldredge said 4,218 seniors qualify by having a 4.0 or higher GPA as of Oct. 31. Most counties produced one to 20 students who qualified, though a couple of counties didn't have any qualifying students through the GPA criteria.

The Tennessee counties with the most students who qualify for guaranteed admissions because they have a 4.0 or higher GPA:

  • Knox County: 564 seniors

  • Williamson County: 554 seniors

  • Shelby County: 515 seniors

All these students will be offered guaranteed admission to any school in the UT System.

Upcoming deadlines for applications to the University of Tennessee

Dec. 15 is the regular admission application deadline, which includes time for the university to determine if a student qualifies for scholarships.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is released in December, and the priority deadline will be due by Feb, 15, 2024. The FAFSA has changed this year, so make sure you're aware of what's different!

The university will release regular admission decisions in late February, and accepted students will need to confirm their attendance by May 1.

Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee at Knoxville projects record students in 2024