Public · Knoxville, TN
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville merit aid, cost of attendance, freshman GPA and SAT/ACT scores, net price by income, and graduate earnings.
Costs, merit aid & admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 44%
- Undergraduates
- 30,418
- Avg merit aid / yr
- $6,872
- Cost of attendance (in-state)
- $35,064
- Cost of attendance (out-of-state)
- $54,508
- SAT 75th percentile
- 1370
- ACT 75th percentile
- 31
Costs are annual prices before aid. Average merit aid is the average non-need-based award to freshmen who got one — not an offer to every applicant.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville incoming freshman academic profile
- Average high school GPA
- Not reported
- SAT composite middle score
- 1,3302025-26 CDS · Source
- ACT composite middle score
- 292025-26 CDS · Source
Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville net price by family income
Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.
| Family income | $0–30K | $30–48K | $48–75K | $75–110K | $110K+ | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual net price | $9,626 | $11,690 | $17,499 | $22,708 | $26,651 | $18,314 |
Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.
At what family income does financial aid stop at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use The University of Tennessee-Knoxville's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.
Graduation, earnings & student debt
- 6-year graduation
- 74.5%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort
- First-year retention
- 91.9%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024
- Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
- $65,0902011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars
- Median federal debt
- $18,750Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled
Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 221759).
Colleges with acceptance rates similar to The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville accepts about 44% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.
- Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN43% acceptance
- University of South Florida · Tampa, FL43% acceptance
- Maria College of Albany · Albany, NY44% acceptance
- Morehouse College · Atlanta, GA44% acceptance
- Point University · West Point, GA44% acceptance
- Texas A & M International University · Laredo, TX44% acceptance
- Union College · Schenectady, NY44% acceptance
- Yeshiva Toras Chaim · Lakewood, NJ44% acceptance
- Principia College · Elsah, IL43% acceptance
- Beacon College · Leesburg, FL43% acceptance
Colleges with merit aid similar to The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville reports average merit aid of $6,872 per year. These colleges report the closest average non-need-based awards.
- North Carolina A & T State University · Greensboro, NC$6,825 avg merit aid / yr
- University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT$6,770 avg merit aid / yr
- Utah Valley University · Orem, UT$6,983 avg merit aid / yr
- Morehead State University · Morehead, KY$7,008 avg merit aid / yr
- Lee University · Cleveland, TN$6,682 avg merit aid / yr
- California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA$6,655 avg merit aid / yr
- Oklahoma State University-Main Campus · Stillwater, OK$7,134 avg merit aid / yr
- Kent State University at Kent · Kent, OH$6,592 avg merit aid / yr
- Pepperdine University · Malibu, CA$7,158 avg merit aid / yr
- Eastern Connecticut State University · Willimantic, CT$7,175 avg merit aid / yr
Data sources & limitations
Admissions, costs and merit aid: collegedata.fyi (Common Data Set + federal data), imported Oct 2026. Net prices and outcomes: College Scorecard, Oct 15, 2026 release, matched by federal ID. SAT 75th percentile adds section scores; 90th-percentile and GPA match thresholds are estimates. ROI compares four years of average net price with median earnings 10 years after entry, ranked in thirds across colleges. Blank means not reported — never estimated. Confirm costs and scholarships with the college.