Updated as of February 20, 2025
There has never been a better time to become a Tennessee Volunteer. More students than ever before have applied to join the Volunteer family and light the way for future Volunteers.
Fall 2025 Class
As Tennessee’s land-grant and flagship university, UT is committed to serving the state by providing an accessible and affordable education to qualified Tennessee residents. Capacity considerations and delivering on the Volunteer experience for all students (new and continuing) remains a priority in shaping the Fall 2025 cohort.
Many students not admitted in the first and second admissions release will be invited to join a waitlist or participate in UT Pathway Programs following the second release on March 4, 2025.
Students who did not meet guaranteed admission requirements are reviewed holistically. Our holistic admissions review process takes into consideration a number of factors focused on academic success at UT, including but not limited to:
Students who did not meet guaranteed admission requirements are reviewed holistically. Our holistic admissions review process considers experience and preparation in academic areas as well as other factors including:
- Difficulty of senior-level coursework
- Academic preparedness and rigor of high school curriculum
- ACT/SAT test scores
- College and academic program interest & alignment with academic preparation
- Extracurricular, employment, or leadership activities and contributions
- Jobs and volunteer experience
- Awards
- Special talents or skills
- Letters of Recommendation
- Personal Essay
Guaranteed Admission Statistics
On June 25, 2024, the UT Board of Trustees approved an update to include a minimum ACT/SAT requirement in the In-state Guaranteed Admission Policy applicable to in-state students applying for admission to UT Knoxville for Fall 2025. This policy continues to expand access to a college degree for Tennesseans in efforts to retain the state’s best and brightest students. In addition, UT Knoxville is proud to offer more than 90% of our in-state applicants a pathway to enroll at UT through first-year admission and guaranteed transfer pathways.
- 6,313 in-state students met Guaranteed Admission criteria.
- Admits from 95 Tennessee counties, 374 Tennessee high schools
- 27–33 Mid 50% Self-Reported Composite ACT (1280-1465 SAT Equivalent)
- 4.24–4.54 Mid 50% UT Core Weighted GPA
Decision Releases
All applicants with a completed application will receive one of the following decisions:
- Admit: Students offered First-Year Admission for Fall 2025
- Invite to Join the Waitlist: Students can opt-in to join the waitlist and
pursue three pathway programs (UT Access Collaborative, Verto Vols & Rocky Top Transfer) that lead to UT enrollment. Students who opt-in to join the waitlist will be contacted if capacity becomes available. - Pathway Programs: Students are denied First-Year Admission for Fall 2025. Informed by academic preparation, select students from this group will be invited to participate in one of two pathway programs: UT Access Collaborative, or Rocky Top Transfer.
- Deny: Students denied for Fall 2025 are encouraged to consider a
transfer pathway in the future.
Learn more about each decision here.
Admitted Student Overview
*Includes admits from early action releases Tennessee release (Dec. 4) Non-resident release (Dec. 17) and the Tennessee regular admissions decision release (Feb. 20). Additional non-resident admits will be included after the March 4 release.
Admitted Student Overview
- Admitted | 22,780
- In-state | 8,594
- Out-of-state | 14,059
- International | 127
27-32 Mid 50% Self-Reported Composite ACT (1275–1430 SAT Equivalent)
- TN | 26-32
- OOS | 28-32
- International 27-33
4.07-4.50 Mid 50% UT Core Weighted GPA
- TN | 4.04-4.50
- OOS | 4.11-4.50
- International | 3.88-4.32
Applications Received
By UT’s Early Action Deadline (Nov. 1)
UT is experiencing record growth in undergraduate first-year applications and the most competitive applicant pool in our 230-year history. For Fall 2025 entry, UT received 52,303 applications by the November 1 Early Action deadline, a 6.0% increase and 2,968 more applications compared to November 2023.
Of applications received by UT’s November 1 Deadline:
- 23.1% were from in-state students (12,094).
- In-state applications increased by 5.2% over last year.
- 76.9% from out-of-state and international students (40,209).
- Out-of-state applications increased by 6.3% over last year.
By UT’s Regular Admissions Deadline (Dec. 16)
For Fall 2025 entry, UT received 60,515 applications by December 16 Regular Admissions deadline, a 5.7% increase and 3,247 more applications compared to December 2023.
Of applications received by UT’s December 16 Deadline:
- 22.6% were from in-state students (13,694).
- In-state applications increased by 5.5% over last year.
- 77.4% from out-of-state and international students (46,821).
- Out-of-state applications increased by 5.9% over last year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decisions are being made in this release?
UT released admit, waitlist, pathway and deny decisions in this release for Tennessee applicants, including those who received a deferred decision in December 2024.
More information about our decisions can be found here.
What does it mean to be on the waitlist?
Applicants who have been offered a spot on our waitlist for Fall 2025 can choose to remain on the waitlist and participate in one of UT’s Pathway Programs—UT Access Collaborative, Rocky Top Transfer, or Verto Vols. Students who opt in to join the Fall 2025 waitlist by April 1, 2025 will be given priority consideration for admission if space becomes available.
Students who choose to participate in one of UT’s Pathway Programs who are offered admission from the waitlist will be given a refund for any enrollment deposit paid toward their program of choice. Participating in a pathway program will not negatively impact chances of admission from the waitlist.
Students who choose to remain on the waitlist for Fall 2025 will be given the option to provide a 250-word statement of continued interest. Students can provide this statement on the Waitlist form or at a later date in the Next Steps tab of their Go Vols Portal. Students have until April 1, 2025 to finalize their statements of continued interest.
More information about our waitlist can be found here. For more information about our pathway programs, please visit this page.
What does it mean if I’ve been denied admission, but offered a Pathway Program?
Select students who have been denied Fall 2025 admission will be invited to participate in either the UT Access Collaborative or Rocky Top Transfer program as their road to Rocky Top. Both programs are invite-only and offer guarantee admission into any non-competitive program at UT in Fall 2026 upon meeting program requirements. Program requirements include maintaining a 3.0+ GPA and earning 24+ transferrable credit hours.
What does it mean to be denied?
Applicants with a denied decision are not offered admission to UT. Applicants denied admission are strongly encouraged to consider a transfer pathway at a later date. More information about transfer admissions can be found at transfer.utk.edu.
Applicants who will be graduating from a designated Flagship high school who were denied first-year admission can utilize their Flagship Scholarship as a transfer student at a later date. Transfer students who qualify as Tennessee residents are also eligible for UT Promise and UT Pledge scholarships. You can learn more about transfer student scholarships on our One Stop site.
What is a Pathway Program?
Some students not offered admission in Fall 2025 will be invited to participate in one of UT’s Pathway Programs. These invitation-only programs are an opportunity for prospective students to find their path to join our Volunteer family.
- UT Access Collaborative: Select applicants can enroll as first-year students at either UT Chattanooga, UT Martin, or UT Southern and transfer to UT Knoxville the following academic year.
- Rocky Top Transfer: Select applicants can complete their first year at Pellissippi State Community College by taking classes in-person with some online availability and transfer to UT the following academic year.
- Verto Vols: Students have the opportunity to study abroad with other first-year students before starting classes on Rocky Top.
I qualify for a scholarship under the UT Promise scholarship program (including the Flagship Scholarship) but was not admitted to the Fall 2025 class. Will I be able to use this scholarship if I attend UT at a later date?
Transfer students who qualify as Tennessee residents are also eligible for UT Promise and UT Pledge scholarships. You can learn more about transfer student scholarships on our One Stop site.
Applicants who will be graduating from a designated Flagship high school who were denied first-year admission can still use their Flagship Scholarship as a transfer student at a later date.