University of Tennessee has a reputation that it's hard to get in. Administrators are fighting back
The University of Tennessee System is having a huge moment in the national spotlight. The flagship campus' football team is hot and tens of thousands of prospective students are dreaming of enrolling at one of the system's four universities that educate undergraduates.
But there are unintended consequences to every success story.
For the UT System, that has translated into an unfair reputation that it's too darn hard for Volunteer State students to get in. And even if they do, they think they won't be able to afford it anyway.
The university system's top administrators are fighting that fallacy in the most direct way possible: System President Randy Boyd and UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman are telling high school students, in groups large and small, that a degree is very much accessible.
And they're spreading the word that in many cases their education could even be free.
Keying off this month's Board of Trustees decision to guarantee admission to any campus for Tennessee seniors who finish in the top 10% of their class or achieve a 4.0 grade-point average, the administrators visited schools in Knoxville and Middle Tennessee with a coordinated message. (At the UT Chattanooga, Martin and Southern campuses, students have an additional method of gaining admittance: achieve a 3.2 GPA and composite ACT score of 23 or higher or an SAT score of 1130-1150 or higher.)
"I cannot emphasize enough how much opportunity is waiting for you," Plowman told Cane Ridge High School students. The Nashville school is considered one of 38 "flagship" high schools, meaning the Knoxville campus offers scholarships that cover tuition and fees for high schoolers who meet the academic standards for admission.
Opportunities await at the University of Tennessee
In Nashville on Aug. 31, Plowman traveled to Father Ryan High School, a private Christian high school in Oak Hill near Nashville. In an auditorium that faces a vast, lush green space, about 50 students poured in.
“Go Vols!” Plowman greeted the crowd and repeated the chant until the students' enthusiasm matched hers.
Father Ryan is almost a century old and is among the first Tennessee schools to be racially integrated after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Last year, the school sent 55 students to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
"I'm very competitive," Plowman told the students. "I'd like to double that next year."
A day later in Knoxville, Boyd stopped at South-Doyle High School, his alma mater.
In his pitch, Boyd told students that if you get a four-year degree, data says, you will make about $3.5 million over your lifetime. Without that degree, you’re looking at about $1.7 million.
Getting the message to counselors, too
Later at a luncheon with high school counselors, Plowman was the one who listened. Their message to her was clear: Please make UT Knoxville more accessible to the state's high schoolers.
Students want to go but are worried about the whole process, they said.
"One of the things we emphasize at UT is we're a place where everyone matters and everyone belongs," Plowman said.
The university is big, but the experience is individualized for everyone, she said. She wanted that message to trickle down.
"It's a big school, but it feels small," Plowman said to students at Father Ryan and echoed again to the counselors. "At UT, we focus on you individually."
What message do these scholarship options convey?
A dedicated team of University of Tennessee System admission counselors are also talking with students and families to signal just how serious leaders are about reaching out to Tennesseans.
"It's about equity and access," said Amanda Dardy, a Gear Up coordinator for the system. Dardy's job with Gear Up — short for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs — is a federal Department of Education initiative to help increase access to higher education.
A lot of the students Dardy works with are not aware of the opportunities available or they somehow don't think they qualify.
"They're intimidated," Dardy said. "Our students don't always see themselves at schools like UT," she said. Visits like the one from Plowman help bridge the gap.
In less than a week since listening to Plowman's pitch, one of the students Dardy works with had already applied to the UT Knoxville campus, she said.
What aid is available to high schoolers to attend UTK?
Depending on students' family circumstances, there are various options to pay for a UT Knoxville education.
"As the flagship land-grant institution of Tennessee, it is our goal to make a UT education more accessible to Tennesseans," the university said in a statement to Knox News. "UT is investing more in financial aid and scholarships to reduce college costs and help more Vols graduate with no or less debt. Nearly half of UT students graduate debt-free."
Here's the aid options for in-state students that are together called the UT-Tri-Star scholarship program.
If you go to one of Tennessee's flagship high schools and are accepted to the university, your tuition and other mandatory fees are covered. This does not cover living expenses, but students may combine the scholarship with other aid to fill in the gaps. The program began in 2007, and the program was used by 514 students this year. Austin-East, Central and Fulton high schools are among the 38 flagship schools in the state.
If your family's combined adjusted gross income is $75,000 a year or less and you qualify for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship, your tuition and mandatory fees are covered under UT Promise scholarship. UT Promise was instituted in 2020 and 211 students were awarded the scholarship this year.
The Tennessee Pledge Scholarship is offered to freshmen with a family income of $40,000 or less. The four-year scholarship covers an average of on-campus living and food expenses as well as tuition and fees. The program began in 2005 and benefited about 1,400 students this year.
In 2022, more than 2,400 students received one or more of these aids. In 2023, a little over 2,000 students availed the aids, according to data shared by the university. Apart from these, the university also offers other scholarships to in-state students including a Distinguished Tennessean award. A list of scholarships available to first-year students can be found at https://onestop.utk.edu/scholarships/first-year/.
When can I apply to UTK?
Here are some important dates to have handy if you're looking to apply to UT Knoxville.
For fall entry
Nov. 1: Early Action Admission Deadline
Nov. 15: Early Action Completion Deadline
Dec. 15: Regular Admission Application Deadline
Jan. 6: Regular Application Completion Deadline
Applications can be made for UT Knoxville at admissions.utk.edu.
Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AreenaArora.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee shows in-state students how to enroll
