Freshman Class is Top 25
As we work toward becoming a Top 25 public research university, we’re pleased that the quality of our incoming students is already there.
By average ACT scores, the freshmen who began classes in August rank among the top 8 percent of students statewide.
This group of students—the Class of 2015—has the highest average ACT score in UT's history. The freshman class's average score was 26.7, 0.3 higher than last year. The new class has an average GPA of 3.87, compared to 3.81 last year. Forty-six percent come to UT with average high school GPAs of 4.0 or better, compared to 41 percent last year.
Serving such high-ability students fuels our determination to elevate our programs and improve our facilities to provide a world-class education for our students.
About 89 percent of our freshmen are Tennessee residents; the class is 19 percent minority and almost 9 percent African American.
As in previous years, about 99 percent of the in-state, incoming freshmen qualified for the state’s lottery-funded HOPE, which provides $4,000 per year toward tuition and fees. The lottery scholarship is a factor in the significant rise in freshman qualifications over the last several years.
To make sure that money is not a stumbling block for the state's academically qualified students, UT Knoxville has implemented several new scholarship programs during the past few years. This year, about 60 percent of the institutional scholarship dollars—those awarded by UT—are merit-based, and 40 percent are need-based. In 2005–2006, about 99 percent of UT’s institutional scholarships were merit-based.
- 505 students, or about 14 percent of the freshman class, will receive the Tennessee Pledge Scholarship which, when combined with other federal, state, and institutional aid, will cover mandatory costs—tuition, fees, room and board, and a book allowance. This year, the scholarship is available to students whose families have adjusted gross incomes of up to $40,000, which is about 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The average income of Pledge families is $21,757, compared to about $125,000 for all in-state students.
- 150, or about 4 percent, have received the Tennessee Promise Scholarship. The only program of its kind in the state, the Promise Scholarship is available to students from a group of eligible high schools across the state. Promise scholarships are valued at up to $8,396 per year plus a $1,200 book allowance. The average family income of Promise recipients is approximately $45,000.
- 332, or about 9 percent, have received Achieve the Dream grants. The program—for high-achieving students from middle-income Tennessee families—provides four-year grants of up to $3,000 per year. The average family income of recipients is approximately $79,000.