University of Tennessee acceptance rate and admissions statistics
University of Tennessee admitted 23,464 of 53,841 first-year applicants in its 2025-26 Common Data Set, an official acceptance rate of 43.6%. Every number below comes from the college’s own Common Data Set, each year linked to its document; a figure the college leaves blank says “Not published”, and the notes at the foot of the page say where a total is the sum of rows the college printed.
What did admitted applicants have? How to get into University of Tennessee counts the grades, scores and activities they posted.
University of Tennessee acceptance rate by year
| CDS year | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 53,841 | 23,464 | 43.6% | 7,143 | 30.4% |
| 2024-25 | 59,764 | 24,863 | 41.6% | 6,804 | 27.4% |
| 2023-24 | 50,488 | 23,221 | 46.0% | 6,694 | 28.8% |
Acceptance rate is admitted divided by applied; yield is enrolled divided by admitted. Both are computed by Aristo Scholars from the two counts printed beside them.
Early decision at University of Tennessee
Early decision counts: Not published. University of Tennessee’s Common Data Set prints no early decision applicant or admit counts (section C21) for any year shown.
University of Tennessee waitlist
University of Tennessee SAT and ACT scores
What University of Tennessee says matters in admission
In section C7 each college rates its own admission factors as Very Important, Important, Considered or Not Considered. These are the factors University of Tennessee rated in the top two tiers.
- 2025-26
- Very important: Rigor of secondary school record, Academic GPA, Standardized test scores, Application essay, State residency
- Important: Extracurricular activities, Talent/ability, Character/personal qualities, Volunteer work, Work experience
- 2024-25
- Very important: Rigor of secondary school record, Academic GPA, Standardized test scores
- Important: Application essay, State residency
- 2023-24
- Very important: Rigor of secondary school record, Academic GPA, Standardized test scores
- Important: Application essay
University of Tennessee testing policy for students applying in 2026-27
Test required: 'UT requires all first-year applicants to submit ACT/SAT scores as part of their application for admission.' Scores can be self-reported, and official scores are due by May 15. The 2025-26 CDS C8 also marks SAT or ACT as required for Fall 2027.
From University of Tennessee’s admissions site, read 2026-11-05. Policies change; the college’s page is the authority.
How these numbers were read
Figures are for UT Knoxville; the 2025-26 link is to Section C. UT has no early decision plan. The 2025-26 waitlist offered figure (11,980) is shown as printed.
University of Tennessee acceptance rate questions
- What is the University of Tennessee acceptance rate?
- University of Tennessee's Common Data Set for 2025-26 reports 53,841 first-year applicants and 23,464 admitted, an acceptance rate of 43.6%. It was 41.6% in 2024-25 and 46.0% in 2023-24.
- What SAT scores do University of Tennessee students have?
- In 2025-26, the middle half of enrolled first-year students who submitted the SAT scored 1280 to 1380, and ACT submitters scored 26 to 31. 25.0% of enrolled students submitted an SAT score.
- How many students get off the University of Tennessee waitlist?
- In 2025-26, University of Tennessee offered 11,980 applicants a place on the waitlist; 3,516 accepted one, and 134 were admitted from it.
- Does University of Tennessee require the SAT or ACT for students applying in 2026-27?
- Test required: 'UT requires all first-year applicants to submit ACT/SAT scores as part of their application for admission.' Scores can be self-reported, and official scores are due by May 15. The 2025-26 CDS C8 also marks SAT or ACT as required for Fall 2027.
Applying to University of Tennessee?
An acceptance rate describes the whole pool, not one student. A Specialist can read your student’s file against what University of Tennessee says it weighs.
Source: University of Tennessee Common Data Set, sections C1, C2, C7, C9 and C21, each year linked above, read 2026-11-05. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with University of Tennessee. All official acceptance rates