UT System enrollment rises to all-time high
New Southern campus adds nearly 900 students
The addition of the new University of Tennessee Southern campus boosted the university system's enrollment to record numbers this year.
There are 53,983 students enrolled across all UT campuses this fall, including 876 students at UT Southern, the campus added in June in Middle Tennessee. Last year there were 52,500 total students enrolled at UT'S flagship Knoxville campus plus UT Chattanooga, UT Martin and the UT Health Science Center in Memphis.
The system saw a 4.9% increase of incoming freshmen compared to 2020, according to the data provided by the UT System.
The UT System also set an all-time high of 3,501 new graduate/professional students, according to the data.
However, there are fewer students returning to campus after their first year. The first-year retention rate dropped 2.6% percent across the system.
Another boost in enrollment is tied to the UT Promise, a scholarship program that covers tuition and fees for students with a household income of less than $50,000 per year. This was the first year students could apply for the program, opening up more opportunities for affordable education.
Here's what each campus looks like this fall.
UT Knoxville
The flagship campus set a total enrollment record of 31,701 students in fall 2021.
This is a 3.4% increase in undergraduate enrollment and a 5.2% increase in graduate enrollment.
Overall, the university has 11.9% more students compared to 2017.
UT saw its all-time largest freshman class this year with 5,948 incoming students. The campus offered admission to more than 22,000 students.
First-year retention rates are down nearly 1% from fall 2020, according to the data.
In the 2020-2021 academic year, the flagship university awarded 7,535 degrees.
UT Chattanooga
UT Chattanooga enrolled 11,457 students this fall. Overall, UT Chattanooga has seen a downward trend in students. Total enrollment is down 2% compared to last year and 1.1% compared to 2017.
Undergraduates make up a majority on campus with 10,016 students. This is a 2.9% decrease from the previous year, according to the data.
However, graduate students are up 4.1% with 1,441 students enrolled.
The campus saw a smaller freshmen class as well. There are 2,076 freshmen at UT Chattanooga this year, down 146 students from the previous year.
The university offered admission to more than 6,500 students.
There are fewer students returning to
UT Chattanooga after their first year. The first-year retention rate was 73.1%, down 4.8% from 2020.
The university awarded 2,606 degrees in the last academic year.
UT Martin
This fall, UT Martin enrolled 6,721 students at its campus in northwest Tennessee.
Both undergraduate and graduate enrollment is down at the university, according to the data. There are 6.1% fewer undergraduate students and 2.4% fewer graduate students on campus this year.
This follows a trend that campus has seen over the past five years. Total enrollment is down nearly 1% since 2017.
According to its website, demographic shifts in high school graduates continue to affect enrollment at UT Martin. The college launched an strategic enrollment plan in 2020 to grow its student population, which includes adding several new degrees and increased student advising support.
There were 1,042 freshmen enrolled this fall at the university, down 68 students from the year before.
UT Martin offered admission to more than 5,500 students.
The campus had a 70% first-year retention rate, according to the data, down 5.1% from the year before.
UT Martin gave out 1,289 degrees in the 2020-2021 academic year.
UT Health Science Center
This fall, there are 3,237 students enrolled at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis.
Of these students, 2,972 are graduate students, according to the data. Overall, enrollment saw a 1.5% increase compared to last year.
UT Health Science Center saw a 2.1% decline in new graduate students this fall. However, undergraduate enrollment is up 18.3%.
UT Health Science Center awarded 1,444 degrees this past academic year. Fall 2020 was the first semester the college awarded the bachelor of science degree in pharmaceutical sciences, a degree awarded to students who successfully complete three semesters of the doctorate curriculum.
The degree was approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
UT Southern
Of the 876 students enrolled at UT Southern this fall, 852 of them are undergraduate students and 24 are graduate students.
The Pulaski campus saw a 7.9% increase in enrollment compared to 2020, when it was still Martin Methodist College, according to the data.
That increase is even stronger among UT Southern freshmen. Last year there were 186 freshmen at Martin Methodist. After joining the UT System, there are 215 incoming freshmen this year, a 15.6% increase.
Of the 376 students offered admission, 215 chose to enroll.
Located about 75 miles southwest of Nashville, it's the first addition to the statewide higher education network in more than 50 years.