r/UTK • • Oct 31 '24

Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions One Admissions Post to End Them All

53 Upvotes

Hello Class of 2031!

This is my 4th update to this post, and I hope my information remains helpful to this day! 🙌

The following information compiles both my experiences and departmental knowledge over my time at UT. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

If you want the TL;DR version:

  • Instate students who do not receive guaranteed admission will need a UT GPA of at least 3.9 or an ACT above 28. It has become incredibly difficult for instate students... so get that 4.0 and ACT score up!

  • Out of State students... you damn near need to be the best of the best these days. I cannot promise anything obviously but if you have a weighted GPA above 4.3ish and a ACT composite of 30 or so... you should get a pretty good amount of money and feel comfortable with admissions (so long as you have half rate essays)!

Firstly, I feel obligated to state my qualifications to give the opinions and facts in this post:

  1. I am a current Senior at UT (will not graduate until 2028) Applied out of state

  2. I am affiliated with two organizations who monitor admission cycles each year across all universities (one MAY or may not be directly affiliated with MIT's admission office).

Not to name names... lol.

But I think this discussion should be broken up into 6 parts. (Yes long post OH NOOOOO!!!) But if you really want the honest truth and plan on... ya know... going to college... then reading should be in your best interest my friend.

Part One: The In-state vs. Out-of-State War

It is well known that many universities favor instate students in order to keep future generations... well... "in state." At many uni's this can be seen through more scholarship opportunities, cheaper base tuition, and in many cases: EASIER ADMISSIONS.

It is no secret that UT MUCH prefers instate students... especially seen in the 64% acceptance rate of instate students in the 2026 cycle vs the Out of state 28% acceptance rate (apparently going up!).

My current roommate is an instate student with a truck ton of scholarship (only has to pay for housing atp). Where as I am actively dropping a cool 17 grand a semester! YIPPEEE!

But outside of the money and the distribution between 64% and 28% what does that actually look like in terms of admission criteria? We will look at that next.

Part Two: Instate Admission Criteria

Straight from the guaranteed admission website...

Score a 28+ ACT composite (SAT 1300+)

AND

Achieve one of the following: Earn a 4.0+ UT Core GPA Be among the Top 10% of their high school graduating class

Honestly not terrible, most people I know who came here instate got guaranteed admission!

So to my instate students... good luck!

Part Three: One of these things is not like the other... (Out of State Admission Criteria)

This section is going to be rather long and probably the most sought after... so grab your reading glasses!

There are many misconceptions about college admissions that I feel you ought to know. The idea of a holistic review is very, very loose. Holistic reviews of your class schedule and your GPA/ACT score.

At most, your essays and activities in high-school will boost your case for admission by about 5 ACT score (but this would be for like the president of the student body with an entire page of Sh... Stuff they have done in high-school).

Good essays help admissions counselors like you as a person and it helps them want to want you!

Good resumes help this as well.

However... how long do you think it takes to read a single application? 30 seconds? A minute? Two minutes? The average amount of time it would take someone to read all of the information you provide would take around 6 minutes without skimming. Considering that means a single counselor could only go through 10 per hour...

We can assume (and I know for a fact) they do not read everything.

They look for 5 things while going through your app (no particular order): 1. GPA Weighted and Unweighted 2. SAT and ACT 3. AP classes (at a glance) 4. Some prose in your essays 5. Just a bunch of stuff on your activities in high-school

Quantity over quality often helps ngl...

Now that we understand the idea that they ain't gonna be looking at EVERYTHING with minute detail, what do they actually numerically look for?

Generally, for the sake of time and fair arguments, here are some basic numbers:

These are middle of the road so if you are above them then you should be fine...

SAT Score at or above 1340

ACT at or above 30

GPA 4.3 UT Weighted

If you don't match or beat those requirements... you better write the cure to cancer on your essays!

that was a joke

But it kind of wasn't... those scores and values are pretty standard nowadays, and you kind of have to be a pretty good student to earn your spot here.

SIDE NOTE: I had many friends apply here out of state and I was the only one who was not waitlisted. And they had some insane resumes (president of stuco with 4.3 GPA for example).

Part Four: Each college is different.

I don't mean reach university, because like... yeah no crap. I mean reach academic college is different.

If you are applying to be an engineer, you should expect to NEED a pretty decent math SAT Score. If you push below a 640 on the math... you aren't getting in to the tickle college of engineering.

Nursing is different and hard to get into.

Business is business... but it is still difficult to get into cause... ya know... it's highly ranked.

So on and so forth.

Do keep in mind that each college can only allow so much of one category. So engineering has a different acceptance rate than business (often not talked about).

There are no hard facts online about what it is... but I am pretty sure the Out of state engineering acceptance rate was about 15% of so... (don't take my word for it).

Part Five: You've already applied... what should you do?

Don't fail out your senior year. UT is very unforgiving (understandably) is you fall off the face of the earth senior year.

My senior year was actually my best academic year! Plus I...

  1. Was the captain of the volleyball team
  2. Was the yearbook president
  3. Senior class president
  4. Student Ambassador
  5. Robotics Captain
  6. Math Team Captain
  7. BLAH BLAH BLAH

All that to say... DONT BOG DOWN you are not done with high-school. UT will chew you and spit you out like it is nothing if your GPA tanks.

Also, just wait and follow UT's instructions. (Crazy right?)

Part Six: If you have any questions... please drop them below!

I'm an open book and will tell you pretty much anything so long as it's appropriate obviously!

Thanks for reading... And GO VOLS!!


r/UTK • • 26m ago

Haslam College of Business MARK350 Winter Mini-Term

• Upvotes

hi!

has anyone taken mark350 over a mini term before? specifically with melinda micheletto? i have honestly only heard bad things about her course structure and attitude (poorly worded exams, iffy group projects, reporting everyone and everything for ai, etc.) but was wondering how her class was set up with it only being a few weeks long?

i am a double major and am taking this to give myself breathing room my senior year (one of my majors is STEM and pretty intensive with upper level coursework/captsones), but don't want to kill my gpa if the course is a monster for no reason. i don't mind a lot of work in a short stretch of time- but i want fair material! tia!


r/UTK • • 7h ago

College of Arts & Sciences Chemistry Tutoring

3 Upvotes

If you want help in chemistry, leave a comment or DM me. I got my B.S. in Chemistry from UTK and I have been working in R&D support for 4 years. I have not formally tutored before, but I am interested in starting.

I plan on billing $20/hr. There may be some topics I need to brush up on. I would not bill for time that I spend preparing for sessions, just time spent in-person or on a video call.


r/UTK • • 3h ago

Selling or Looking to Buy Anyone want to MiddleMan some discounted DollyWood tickets?

0 Upvotes

Family is wanting to go to Dollywood next month, the website says students/faculty can get a 50% discount and are allowed to give them to friends without attending themselves.

Just posting to see if anyone is able to help us out.


r/UTK • • 7h ago

Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions Tuition Costs?

1 Upvotes

Hi, I'm an in-state high school senior in the process of completing my UTK application before November 1st so I have direct admission. I don't know if I'll commit because I've heard that tuition is ghastly.

For one, I know rates are posted on their website, and since I live within 50 miles of campus I'm not required to live in a dorm, so that brings tuition down to about 15,000 including books and fees, but is that per year or per semester?

I do already have some credits due to AP tests and dual enrollment, and I'll get around 40,400 dollars maximum due to my GPA and ACT score. For reference, here's my stats: my unweighted GPA is 3.88 and my weighted is 4.28, I've taken 4 APs and have made 5s on all of them, and I made a 31 on my ACT. How much more money could I potentially get from scholarships? My extracurriculars are non-existent, which I know isn't good. I've yet to complete FAFSA, but I know my household makes below 60,000 a year.

I can't afford to be saddled with debt when I could just take two years at Pellissippi for free then transfer, and when I told my counselor this, she strongly encouraged me to skip Pellissippi altogether and apply straight to UTK, but she sounds crazy with the tuition rates I've been seeing. For reference, I want to major in English, which I know is a debate in of itself. I'm just concerned which path I should take financially.


r/UTK • • 1d ago

Student Life, Socialization, and Clubs Drive UT Car Meet this Friday

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3 Upvotes

All students and alumni welcome (you don’t need to bring a cool car or any car)


r/UTK • • 1d ago

Student Life, Socialization, and Clubs Study apps

3 Upvotes

does anyone use any study apps like knowt and if so has it helped you?


r/UTK • • 23h ago

UT Alumni Tomorrow!!!

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1 Upvotes

r/UTK • • 1d ago

UTK Parking Madness G10 Garage - Events

1 Upvotes

How bad is G10 to get in and out of for games/ events since they have started demolition?


r/UTK • • 1d ago

Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions Spring Admission Engineering

4 Upvotes

I am a current freshman in college at U Cincinnati looking to Transfer to UTK’s nuclear engineering program in the spring. Here are my stats;

3-.5-3.8 GPA (Not exactly sure but Mostly As and Bs)
- 32 ACT (possibly higher when my latest scores come back)
- LOTS of dual enrollment accelerated through a community college
- Calc 1 CLEP
- Calc 2 8 week accelerated
- Physics 1 5 week accelerated
- Physics 2 5 week Accelerated
All completed this summer
-As well as taking Calculus 3 and Differential Equations this Freshman semester
My extracurriculars are a materials science club and an unpaid research position with a current graduate Nuclear/radiological professor.
What are my chances of getting into not just engineering but the nuclear engineering major specifically as someone out of state.


r/UTK • • 1d ago

Student Housing and Leasing 6 month leases

3 Upvotes

does anyone know any apartments that do 6 month leases near campus???


r/UTK • • 1d ago

Miscellaneous & Random Every online program says it’s “flexible.” What does flexible actually mean to you?

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2 Upvotes

r/UTK • • 2d ago

Undergraduate Student Was I supposed to have Midterms?

20 Upvotes

Everyone keeps talking about midterms, but I’ve not seen a single thing in the syllabus for a midterm. I’m very confused


r/UTK • • 2d ago

Undergraduate Student on campus insanity for next year

7 Upvotes

so the on campus housing portal literally was insane this year and my roommate and I got lake moor. We always get really bad reactions when asking about how it is so what is it actually like? I know the apartments themselves are pretty good, but how is the commute/ bus system that runs from it? is it reliable enough? we’re really scared to be honest cuz it’s so far


r/UTK • • 3d ago

Miscellaneous & Random Strong hall elevator

29 Upvotes

Don't fucking trust elevator #1 I just got off of it and istfg it tried to kill me, I was on floor 2 tried taking it to floor one, it felt like it dropped to floor one then wouldn't open brought me back to two dropped me to one again then brought me all the way to 6😭 genuinely the most terrifying experience of my life


r/UTK • • 2d ago

College of Communication and Information Sports Journalism Major

3 Upvotes

This post is has two questions aimed at current students and previous students

1: Current students, how do you feel about the major and is it something that you would recommend?

2: Previous students, what kind of job did you get coming out of the program?

Heavily considering switching my major from English to this, but I wanted to get some more insight and do more research before I make that decision


r/UTK • • 2d ago

Tickle College of Engineering Has anyone taken Calc III online?

3 Upvotes

I am really temped to talk Calc III online next semester (through utk) so I can take my time understanding the lectures. BUT, the schedule says 2 hour (in person) exams, and to my understanding the in person classes only have 50 minute exams (?). Theoretically being tested in twice as much material really makes me reconsider.

I would really appreciate hearing from somebody that has taken it online through UTK. Thanks!

Edit: I am not looking for math advice lol I am just looking to see if anyone has experience taking it online.


r/UTK • • 3d ago

Haslam College of Business have been stressing and studying for exams for weeks and still don’t feel good about it

11 Upvotes

r/UTK • • 2d ago

Financial Aid & Scholarships Outstanding Tuition Balance

1 Upvotes

Hey, I'm a sophomore here at UTK, and I'm trying to figure out options that I have to pay my remaining tuition balance.

For some reason, at the beginning of this semester my federal student loans weren't sent out on time. I contacted One Stop in July to ask what would happen if my loans weren't applied to my account in time, and was told to simply wait for them to be processed. I followed this advice, but the loans ended up being applied around ~2 weeks ago.

The problem is that they were applied after the deadline for the payment plan, which I was also relying on, so I wasn't able to sign up for it. I again contacted One Stop to explain this situation, but they really didn't offer me any solution other than reaching out to a couple of offices on campus.

I currently owe around $4,000, and I don't think I'll be able to pay this amount upfront before the next deadline for spring semester.

I've reached out to the offices One Stop recommended to ask about things like emergency funding and other financial assistance and I'm waiting for responses, but just I wanted to see if anyone has any other recommendations for me or has been in a similar situation?

Any pointers towards work or anything of that nature would help a lot. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.


r/UTK • • 2d ago

College of Communication and Information MSIS School Library

1 Upvotes

I got into the MSIS program for Spring 2027, but am still deciding if it is something I want to pursue. I ultimately am interested in the school librarianship path, but would like to hear experiences about the program in general.

How is the coursework? Is it doable with a full time job? If you did go the school librarianship path, how is the job search? Please let me know your experience and if you were pleased with the program.


r/UTK • • 3d ago

College of Nursing UTK nursing school chances OOS

0 Upvotes

I am applying to UTK nursing school as a freshman. I have a 4.2 UT gpa, 29 ACT (retook and belive i got a 30 or 31) on new one, 300+ hours helping physician with in office procedures, took a public health class through my county and earned certification from morehouse school of medicine, board for best buddies club (member for 4 years), mentor for freshman, on principal advisory council (collaborate with principal to make school policies), varsity soccer for 3 years and club soccer for 7+ years, student section leader (lead 2,400+ students in chants and school traditions for athletic events), work 2 jobs (hostess, cashier, server), planned homecoming for 4 years (set up, spirit weeks, events, pep rallies, promotions, etc), regular volunteer for local non profit food pantry packing, and a really good essay. What are my chances for out of state?


r/UTK • • 4d ago

Check This Out! Charred Car Outside Kappa Sigma

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209 Upvotes

A little terrifying I can’t lie 😭 go vols though


r/UTK • • 3d ago

Miscellaneous & Random flip flops

9 Upvotes

Is there something I’m missing or why is every man still wearing flip flops in this kind of weather????


r/UTK • • 4d ago

Miscellaneous & Random Does anyone know what happened in Strong Hall????

30 Upvotes

Heard there was a fire alarm and got sent a video but whats going on over there? 😭


r/UTK • • 3d ago

A Vol In Need Freshmen Funk

7 Upvotes

Idk if this is just me or if its a shared experience but I’ve been rejected so many times in the past two months. 3 clubs, 3 jobs, and 1 cohort all have chosen not to go with me. I can’t tell if its me at this point or just the “big applicant pool” that keeps being blamed. Looking for some tips or anything that could help me out. It seems this is just a building thing, because upcoming applications are looking for on campus experiences and I have none.