School is back in session Aug. 18 for the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and more students than ever are expected to be in attendance for another record-breaking semester for enrollment.
UT announced Aug. 15 more than 40,000 students are enrolled for fall 2025, smashing last year's record of more than 36,000 students leading into the first day of class. The final fall 2025 will be shared after the 14th day of class.
The popularity is due, in part, to the record-breaking 91.9% retention rate of first-year students, which the university "expects to meet or exceed," according to a UT news release. This semester's first year class is more than 7,100, selected from nearly 63,000 applications.
"They come to us eager to experience our commitment to providing them with an unparalleled student experience, from the classroom to Neyland Stadium and everything in between," Provost John Zomchick said in the release. "Our new Volunteers start their collegiate journeys on a campus that has never looked better and has never been better prepared to help them become the next generation of innovators and leaders in service to their communities, states and country.”
The university isn't too worried about the looming "enrollment cliff," in which the total population of 18-year-olds begins to decline over the next few years. In UT's favor, the percentage of Tennessee's high school graduates is projected to increase by 2041, and the university is prioritizing Tennesseans as it continues to aim for 41,000 students enrolled on campus in 2030 (plus 14,000 online).
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University of Tennessee enrollment by the numbers
The number of first-year students joining UT for the fall 2025 semester is 7,100.
All 95 Tennessee counties are represented, along with 46 states (plus Washington, D.C.) and 33 countries.
UT reports 60% of the incoming class is from Tennessee.
More than 14.5% of students in the first-year class are first-generation college students.
UT received nearly 63,000 applications for the semester.
In-state applicants increased by 5.1%.
94% of first-year students are receiving financial aid or some sort of scholarship.
UT broke another record, with 5,300 transfer applictions for the fall semester.
Of the more than 1,600 transfer students joining UT this semester, 1,100 are from within in the state.
Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee breaks enrollment record with 40,000
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