Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

First-Year Students

We’re excited you want to join the Volunteer family! We are here to help every step of the way and can’t wait to review your application. Our application for 2023 opens on August 1.


Oct
1

FAFSA Application Opens

Nov
1

Early Action Admission Application Deadline

Nov
15

Early Action Completion Deadline

Dec
1

Early Action FAFSA Deadline

Dec
15

Regular Admission Application Deadline

Jan
6

Regular Admission Completion Deadline

Feb
1

FAFSA Priority Filing Date

May
1

Confirmation Deadline

DECISION RELEASE DATES

Early Action: Mid-December

Regular Admission: Mid-February




Application Checklist

You will need the following items in order to complete your application:

Required

Optional

  • Recommendation letters (academic, professional, or personal)
  • Supporting statement

Additional Application Requirements for Certain Programs

Additional requirements are needed to review your application if you are interested in the following programs:

  • College of Architecture and Design
  • College of Nursing
  • Pre-Pharmacy Direct Admit Program
  • School of Music
  • Tickle College of Engineering

To view individual requirements, please visit the application requirements page.

Application Review

UT has a competitive but holistic admissions process where we evaluate every part of your application, considering your experience and preparation in academic areas as well as other factors including:

  • Rigor of your high school curriculum
  • Difficulty of senior-level coursework
  • Standardized test scores
  • Extracurricular or leadership activities
  • Awards
  • Special talents or skills
  • Optional supporting statement
  • Optional letter(s) of recommendation

Optional Supporting Statement

A supporting statement can provide crucial information to aid the admissions staff in reviewing your application. What do you want us to know about you? It can include your academic interests, achievements, involvement in the community, obstacles you’ve overcome, or other aspects of your background and experiences.

AP, CLEP, IB, Cambridge, and Statewide Dual Credit

Good scores on college placement exams are not required for admission to UT. However, they can earn you college credit and provide a head start on your academic career. Review the credit webpage often as there are frequent changes to these credits.

Application Status

After you submit your application, you can check your application status by visiting your Go Vols Portal. It’s important to check your portal often to see any important communication from UT, along with a list of any materials we still need to make an admissions decision. You can also upload supporting documents in your portal.

Once we’ve made a decision on your application, you will get an email instructing you to check your Go Vols Portal.

Go Vols Portal

Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR)

UT requires prospective students to self-report grades on their high school transcripts and standardized test scores. Our admissions team uses your self-reported grades to calculate your UT core GPA. For more information, visit admissions.utk.edu/srar.

You can submit your self-reported or official test scores through one of the following ways:

  • Self-report your scores into the Go Vols Portal. If you have a copy of your test scores, they can be uploaded to your Go Vols Portal under the GPA & Test tab.
  • Send with high school transcript. You can ask your school counselor to attach your test scores to your transcript so they’re bundled together.
  • Request the testing agency to send your scores to our office. You can ask your testing agency to send official scores straight to us for a monetary fee. Please allow up to two business days for them to be received.

Core GPA

UT calculates a weighted core GPA based on your grades in the courses listed below. Completion of all sixteen core courses is not required for admission but strongly encouraged.

In the core academic subjects, your GPA will be weighted by UT to reflect honors courses (0.5 quality points added), Advanced Placement (AP), Cambridge AS and A Level, International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual enrollment courses (1.0 quality points added). UT calculates your GPA on a 4-point scale. UT will use unweighted high school course grades as the basis for adding these weightings for the UT core GPA calculation. If you attend a high school that does not weight courses, UT will also not weight them. However, the academic rigor of your curriculum is important and will be valued by our admissions review team.

Core Academic Subjects

  • 4 English
  • 4 Math (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, statistics, or other advanced math)
  • 3 Science (biology, chemistry, physics, or other science)
  • 1 American history
  • 1 European history, world history, or world geography
  • 2 Single foreign language (or ASL)
  • 1 Visual or performing arts

Please see the State of Tennessee’s Department of Education website for graduation requirements.

Standardized Test Scores

Students applying for admission for the Summer 2023 and Fall 2023 semesters are required to submit ACT or SAT scores as part of their application.

All applicants will be reviewed holistically and considered for Honors & Scholars Programs plus many merit-based scholarships if their application is submitted and completed by the appropriate deadlines.

Please note that there are certain student populations who are required to submit test scores as part of their application.

If you choose to include test scores, we use the superscoring method, meaning we take your highest section scores of each test taken to determine your new composite score for application review.

Our codes are 4026 for ACT and 1843 for SAT.

Read UT’s test score policy.

Final High School Transcripts

Have your high school or college send us final transcripts after confirming your enrollment electronically (Slate.org) or by mail to:

The University of Tennessee
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
320 Student Services Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-0230

If you have completed any high school or college academic work outside the United States, it may be necessary to have a third party company evaluate your transcript.

International students: Click here for transcript information