The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee · Website
$60,249
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$60,249
median earnings, 10 years after starting
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is a public 4-year college in Knoxville, Tennessee with 30,418 undergraduates and 8,164 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $18,976 a year (tuition and fees $13,812 in-state, $33,256 out-of-state). It admits 42% of applicants and 74% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $60,249 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $20,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$18,976
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$13,812
Out-of-state $33,256
Admission rate
42%
US median 78%
Completion rate
74%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$20,500
About $217 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$60,249
Rank 784 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $18,976
- Tuition in-state
- $13,812
- Tuition out-of-state
- $33,256
- Cost of attendance
- $33,678
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 29%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,029
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,162
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $18,206
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $23,627
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $25,688
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $12,436 in 2015-16 to $13,812 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 42%
- Average SAT
- 1,311
- SAT reading, middle
- 630
- SAT math, middle
- 625
- ACT, middle
- 28
- Undergraduates
- 30,418
- Graduate students
- 8,164
- Part-time students
- 2.9%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 18
- Completion rate
- 74%
- Retention rate
- 92%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 259
- Endowment
- $1.2B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 784 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 120 in Tennessee (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $18,976 | $15,261 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,812 | $15,120 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 42% | 70% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 74% | 60% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 92% | 74% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $20,500 | $15,784 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $47,782 | $34,684 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $60,249 | $38,610 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 68% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 76% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
259 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 595 | $19,500 | $59,147 | $82,074 | $68,257 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 386 | $31,504 | $98,640 | $123,330 | $124,807 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 354 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 313 | $19,500 | $27,374 | $57,020 | $54,562 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 302 | $19,248 | $46,896 | $70,661 | $69,303 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 268 | $39,967 | $46,667 | $55,624 | $65,123 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 248 | $22,078 | $27,487 | $58,149 | $57,214 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 246 | $20,500 | $53,826 | $83,793 | $83,343 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 239 | $12,500 | $65,298 | $77,118 | $88,910 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 181 | $24,812 | $59,501 | $92,042 | $86,176 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 149 | $20,500 | $29,728 | $60,073 | $63,293 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 143 | $23,250 | $65,756 | $90,623 | $92,135 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 140 | $20,500 | $47,975 | $51,494 | $63,707 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 137 | $18,500 | $21,138 | Withheld | - |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 134 | $21,119 | $42,173 | $63,314 | $63,560 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 130 | $19,611 | $41,258 | $57,394 | $56,359 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 126 | $20,500 | $53,197 | $89,445 | $76,194 |
| Social WorkGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 119 | $41,000 | $47,162 | Withheld | $69,362 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 113 | $17,066 | $70,193 | $106,312 | $107,009 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 112 | $61,500 | $65,905 | $103,272 | $107,773 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 111 | $19,500 | $35,723 | $53,635 | $52,657 |
| Library Science and AdministrationMaster's | Master's | 107 | $35,963 | $45,400 | $58,578 | $56,301 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 103 | $20,265 | $26,515 | $49,656 | $49,634 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 96 | $21,500 | $32,300 | $49,785 | $48,568 |
| AnthropologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 90 | $26,949 | $24,772 | $41,767 | $46,676 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Tennessee on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Tennessee
- Homes: Homes for sale in Tennessee
Questions and answers
How much does The University of Tennessee-Knoxville cost?
$18,976 a year is the average net price at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,812 for in-state students and $33,256 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $33,678. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,029 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
42% of applicants are admitted to The University of Tennessee-Knoxville. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,311 and the middle ACT score is 28. The median admission rate of colleges in Tennessee is 70%.
How much do The University of Tennessee-Knoxville graduates earn?
$60,249 a year is the median pay of former The University of Tennessee-Knoxville students who work, 10 years after they started ($47,782 after 6 years). That ranks 784 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 120 in Tennessee. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $130,211.
How much student debt do The University of Tennessee-Knoxville graduates have?
$20,500 is the median federal student loan debt of The University of Tennessee-Knoxville graduates, about $217 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 29% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
74% of first-time, full-time students at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville finish within 6 years. 92% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (595 bachelor's graduates), Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (386 master's graduates), Research and Experimental Psychology (354 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 259 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.