Frequently Asked Questions
International Students

You are an international student if you meet one of the following:

• You will require an F-1 visa to enter and study in the United States.
• You are not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident status ( “green card”)
• If you are in the process of obtaining your US permanent residency you will be classified as an international student until you submit proof of your permanent residency.

For a breakdown of cost for international students please visit the Undergraduate Budget Breakdown page.

For F1 visa purposes, here is the overall cost breakdown from UT’s International Student Services page.

No, there is not a separate application for international applicants. All first-year applicants can apply using the Common Application or register for a Go Vols account—your choice!

A first-year student is someone who has completed secondary/higher secondary school and wants to attend UT and hasn’t been enrolled at a college or university. If an applicant is completing their Advanced levels they are still considered a first-year applicant.

Please apply as a Transfer student. Visit our Transfer Website for more information.

If you were enrolled in any accredited college or university you must apply as a transfer student and list ALL of the institutions you have attended on the application. Failure to apply as a transfer student or leave out your education history could cause your application to be denied.

International students are not eligible for U.S. federal or state financial aid but are eligible for other sources of financial aid and scholarships. International applicants are considered for the same scholarship programs as our out-of-state applicants. For more information visit our first-year student scholarship webpage.

UT does not provide fully funded scholarships for international students.

Please note: UT reviews and updates scholarship programs annually.

If your native language is not English, and you are not a United States citizen or a permanent resident, you must demonstrate English proficiency by submitting one of the approved exams below, or:

• Provide proof of citizenship of a country from the approved list of official English language nations.
• Provide an official high school transcript validating English was the language of instruction.
• Graduate from a high school in the United States

Complete the UT English Language Institute’s (ELI) core intensive curriculum with a recommendation from the ELI faculty.

You can be considered for conditional admission and once you have met the minimum English requirements you will be considered for full admission. You will not be able to attend UT until you have received full admission. More information can be found under our Conditional admission requirements.

Standardized test scores or additional requirements are needed in order 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
• College of Music
• Tickle College of Engineering (Includes Computer Science)

View requirements for each of the programs here

As an international student you do not need to complete the SRAR  (self-reported academic record) unless you attended a high school in the US.

You can check the status of your application by logging into your Go Vols Portal.

No, you will only need to upload a copy of your official high school transcript, mark sheets, diploma, or certificate depending on your educational system’s standards. If you are in your final year of secondary school, you should submit your most current transcripts.  

Our admissions team will need official copies of your transcript, diploma, or certificate prior to enrollment if you attend a secondary school outside the US. Please review our country guidelines for the correct documents to submit as part of your application. 

Official transcripts are certified copies sent directly from the authorized school official. These can be sent electronically to intlugadmit@utk.edu with the subject line “Transcript” or by mail to:

Your submitted transcript must also have a certified literal translation into English for any documents submitted in other languages.

Our application deadlines can be found here.  Please pay attention to the application submission and application completion deadlines.

Our decision release dates can be found here.  For our Spring intake, the university begins reviewing applications by mid-September and the process takes approximately two weeks from the time the application is submitted.

Determining in-state residency depends on many factors.  You can learn more on the Registrar’s Student Residency Classification page.  Furthermore, their FAQ page lists the immigration requirements for in-state residency under their international student question.

Unfortunately, the application fee cannot be waived for international applicants.

Although the Common App allows you to request an application fee waiver, it does not guarantee that your application fee may be waived.