The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is a public institution in Knoxville, Tennessee enrolling 30,418 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. The acceptance rate is 41.6% with an average SAT of 1,311. Graduates earn a median of $60,249 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $18,976. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville operates as a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 30,418 students of which 30,577 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is categorized as “15” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 41.6%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,311 and an ACT midpoint of 28. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $18,976, with published in-state tuition of $13,812 and a Pell grant recipient share of 18.9%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $20,500, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.
Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 73.7%, and the first-year retention rate is 91.9%. Graduates earn a median of $60,249 ten years after enrolling, compared with $47,782 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 696900.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 70.1% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.
Quick Facts
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 41.6% |
| SAT Average | 1,311 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 600 – 690 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 600 – 680 |
| ACT Average | 28 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 25 – 31 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $13,812 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $33,256 |
| Average Net Price | $18,976 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $10,029 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $12,162 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $18,206 |
| Over $110,000 | $25,688 |
Student Demographics
Outcomes
Programs & Earnings
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Engineering | Master's | 32 | $150,903 | $31,248 |
| Computer Science | Master's | 28 | $135,764 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's | 240 | $132,036 | $40,816 |
| Veterinary Medicine | First Professional | 83 | $123,713 | $163,453 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Master's | 126 | $123,330 | $31,504 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's | 15 | $120,482 | $61,500 |
| Chemistry | Doctoral | 21 | $114,312 | — |
| Engineering, Other | Doctoral | 19 | $113,720 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's | 31 | $112,342 | — |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's | 105 | $112,249 | $20,500 |
| Psychology, General | Doctoral | 0 | $108,390 | — |
| Industrial Engineering | Bachelor's | 43 | $107,093 | $21,500 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's | 79 | $106,312 | $17,066 |
| Nuclear Engineering | Master's | 17 | $106,136 | — |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's | 19 | $105,834 | $26,000 |
| Law | First Professional | 120 | $103,272 | $61,500 |
| Nuclear Engineering | Bachelor's | 42 | $99,139 | $22,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's | 44 | $93,642 | $21,565 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Bachelor's | 189 | $92,042 | $24,812 |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's | 64 | $91,643 | $21,295 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's | 186 | $90,623 | $23,250 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's | 98 | $89,445 | $20,500 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's | 54 | $89,015 | $25,000 |
| Soil Sciences | Bachelor's | 24 | $88,563 | $22,798 |
| Civil Engineering | Master's | 24 | $88,162 | — |
| Agricultural Engineering | Bachelor's | 9 | $85,141 | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's | 198 | $83,793 | $20,500 |
| Statistics | Bachelor's | 29 | $83,697 | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | Master's | 19 | $82,094 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's | 470 | $82,074 | $19,500 |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's | 67 | $80,958 | $21,000 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Bachelor's | 30 | $80,415 | $23,847 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's | 39 | $79,736 | $16,962 |
| Education, General | Doctoral | 16 | $77,153 | $61,500 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's | 257 | $77,118 | $12,500 |
| Nuclear Engineering | Doctoral | 16 | $75,204 | — |
| Public Health | Master's | 33 | $72,158 | — |
| Mathematics | Master's | 22 | $71,818 | — |
| Marketing | Bachelor's | 240 | $70,661 | $19,248 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Bachelor's | 62 | $69,476 | $22,200 |
| Design and Applied Arts | Bachelor's | 16 | $69,047 | — |
| Architecture | Bachelor's | 72 | $68,765 | $31,000 |
| Food Science and Technology | Bachelor's | 28 | $68,114 | $20,632 |
| Economics | Bachelor's | 42 | $67,902 | $20,750 |
| Interior Architecture | Bachelor's | 32 | $65,144 | $26,000 |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies | Bachelor's | 30 | $63,996 | $18,500 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | Bachelor's | 122 | $63,314 | $21,119 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Bachelor's | 40 | $63,005 | $20,248 |
| Plant Sciences | Bachelor's | 38 | $61,587 | $20,500 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Master's | 39 | $60,295 | $41,000 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's | 161 | $60,073 | $20,500 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | Bachelor's | 16 | $59,769 | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Bachelor's | 74 | $59,347 | $16,394 |
| Philosophy | Bachelor's | 18 | $59,329 | $26,000 |
| Agricultural Public Services | Master's | 31 | $58,999 | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | Bachelor's | 19 | $58,972 | $24,914 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | Bachelor's | 34 | $58,854 | $21,500 |
| Library Science and Administration | Master's | 127 | $58,578 | $35,963 |
| Materials Engineering | Bachelor's | 20 | $58,221 | $19,500 |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's | 259 | $58,149 | $22,078 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Master's | 43 | $57,810 | $36,269 |
| Forestry | Bachelor's | 25 | $57,436 | $25,548 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's | 132 | $57,394 | $19,611 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Master's | 14 | $57,318 | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's | 358 | $57,020 | $19,500 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's | 20 | $56,750 | $18,950 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Bachelor's | 99 | $56,155 | $19,500 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Master's | 11 | $55,719 | $16,430 |
| Social Work | Master's | 243 | $55,624 | $39,967 |
| Geography and Cartography | Bachelor's | 21 | $54,656 | $24,500 |
| Sociology | Bachelor's | 101 | $53,635 | $19,500 |
| Music | Master's | 38 | $53,019 | $34,623 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Bachelor's | 59 | $52,703 | $20,612 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's | 82 | $52,663 | $20,157 |
| History | Bachelor's | 67 | $52,505 | $15,750 |
| Agricultural Public Services | Bachelor's | 11 | $52,060 | $19,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's | 110 | $51,494 | $20,500 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's | 54 | $50,605 | $25,000 |
| Special Education and Teaching | Bachelor's | 19 | $50,585 | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Bachelor's | 28 | $50,202 | $25,000 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Bachelor's | 85 | $49,785 | $21,500 |
| Mathematics | Doctoral | 12 | $49,683 | — |
| Animal Sciences | Bachelor's | 101 | $49,656 | $20,265 |
| Architecture | Master's | 19 | $49,621 | — |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 0 | $49,003 | $21,832 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | Bachelor's | 56 | $48,882 | $25,000 |
| Social Work | Bachelor's | 72 | $48,510 | $22,750 |
| Music | Bachelor's | 40 | $46,701 | $23,331 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's | 116 | $46,366 | $21,278 |
| Social Work | Graduate Certificate | 88 | $42,309 | $41,000 |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's | 60 | $41,767 | $26,949 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's | 16 | $41,414 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | Master's | 37 | $38,289 | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Master's | 8 | $35,321 | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's | 34 | $34,609 | $25,877 |
| Physics | Bachelor's | 20 | $27,639 | $23,500 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's | 0 | $24,615 | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Bachelor's | 116 | $21,138 | $18,500 |
Nearby Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
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Guides & Resources
Analyze the financial return of a degree
Which fields of study pay off fastest
Schools where graduates earn the most vs. cost
A data-driven framework for picking schools
How College Scorecard measures outcomes
Compare costs, outcomes, and career paths
Related Colleges
Other public institutions in Tennessee
Related Data Sources
Research Knoxville, Tennessee with related datasets
Data Sources
Data as of 2024-25 academic year. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Primary: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. Data reflects most recent available year.
Institutional characteristics: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) institutional characteristics file.
Earnings: Median earnings 6 and 10 years after enrollment, from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid data.
Program data: Credential-level earnings from the College Scorecard Field of Study dataset.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- NCES IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) — enrollment, completions, finance, faculty for every U.S. college. nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- College Scorecard — U.S. Dept of Education outcomes data — earnings, debt, completion. collegescorecard.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) — K-12 → college transition data. nces.ed.gov/ccd
- NSC StudentTracker — enrollment and completion outcomes by institution. nscresearchcenter.org
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections — occupation outlook by education level. bls.gov/emp
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS — educational attainment + degree population. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Earnings data sourced from IRS records via the U.S. Treasury–Department of Education matching used by the College Scorecard.