University of Tennessee System poised to guarantee admission for top high school graduates
Top seniors at every public and private high school in Tennessee would be guaranteed a spot at any UT System campus they apply to – including the flagship Knoxville campus – under a new policy the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees is expected to vote on Sept. 8.
This guaranteed admissions policy would go into effect for students applying to start school in fall 2024 if it's approved. Students and families will need to meet the application deadlines and one of three criteria to receive a spot:
Finish in the top 10% of their graduating class.
Achieve a 4.0 or higher grade-point average (GPA).
Achieve a 3.2 or higher GPA and a composite ACT score of 23 or higher (or an SAT score of 1130-1150 or higher).
This also means that if a student doesn't finish in the top 10% of their class, they can still receive guaranteed acceptance if they meet one of the other two criteria.
There are some additional notes: class rank and GPA will be based on the semester transcript following their junior year; UT Knoxville uses a weighted core GPA to calculate a student's GPA in 16 academic subjects; ACT and SAT scores are required for applications; and UT Knoxville requires a minimum math and English ACT subscore of 19.
The UT System is trying to ease stress on high school seniors trying to get into a UT school. UT System President Randy Boyd said that the system will try to notify seniors in the top 10% early so they can begin applying.
Boyd said the initiative is a continuation of the system's efforts to make higher education more accessible.
"Typically, we're underrepresented in some of our inner city schools and some of our rural schools. And this we think will be an equalizer in giving students and those schools a better chance," Boyd told Knox News in an exclusive interview. "That's one of the things that we're striving for is that our student body reflects the population of the state. If you admit the top 10% of every high school across the state - or they're eligible - it gives us a better chance to be more representative."
There were 64,580 students who graduated from public high schools in Tennessee in 2022, according to the board's agenda for the Sept. 8 meeting. Under the guaranteed admission initiative, about 6,400 students from last year would have qualified.
Enrollment leaders at the flagship Knoxville campus project 5-10% more applications from in-state students for fall 2024.
This initiative will work in tandem with UT Promise, a university program that pays last-dollar tuition and fees for students (last-dollar aid means the program covers tuition and fees not covered by other grants or scholarships). It will be easier for students to qualify for UT Promise in fall 2024 because the threshold will increase to $75,000 of adjusted gross income, meaning that students in households making that much or less will receive the scholarship after financial aid is applied. Boyd said that close to two-thirds of all Tennessee households will qualify for UT Promise.
Students who receive guaranteed admittance also will receive UT Promise funding if they meet the qualifications. Even if a student doesn't apply for UT Promise, the financial aid office will alert students who qualify.
Under the early admissions initiative, Boyd said he hopes to fight the misconception that prospective students in Tennessee can't even get into the flagship university by making sure there's a seat available to them.
A previous version of this story misstated when the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees meeting will take place. It is Sept. 8.
Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. Twitter @specialk2real.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee poised to guarantee spot for top graduates
