by our College Data Analytics TeamHow many UT Knoxville first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore UT Knoxville retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 89% students making it past their freshmen year, UT Knoxville has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Tennessee, the average is 71.48%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| UT Knoxville | 89% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Tennessee | 71.48% |
Of the 3,978 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 45% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 68% of the students had graduated and after eight years 70% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical UT Knoxville graduation rate 68%.
The typical UT Knoxville student takes 4.31 years to complete their bachelor's degree.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2,827 | 49% |
| Six Years | 3,978 | 68% |
| Eight Years | 90 | 2% |
| Did Not Complete | 1,751 | 30% |
Approximately 1751 students or 30% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 1751 students who did not complete their degree?
21 are still enrolled.
1152 transferred to another institution.
UT Knoxville lost contact with the remaining 567 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 21 | 1.2% |
| Transferred | 1152 | 65.8% |
| Dropped Out | 567 | 32.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 56% |
| Asian | 77% |
| Black / African-American | 61% |
| Hispanic | 67% |
| International | 70% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 62% |
| Unknown | 78% |
| White | 72% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at UT Knoxville are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville represent 73% of the students in the class of 2015, and 74.21% of UT Knoxville bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 45%, first-time students in the UT Knoxville class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the UT Knoxville graduation rate was 70%, and by the eight year mark, 71% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | UT Knoxville | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 45% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 70% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 71% | 47.82% |
1208 first-time / full-time students or 29% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
21 are still enrolled.
821 transferred to another institution.
UT Knoxville lost contact with the remaining 357 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 21 | 1.74% |
| Transferred | 821 | 67.96% |
| Dropped Out | 357 | 29.55% |
First-time / part-time students at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville represent 0.46% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time, part-time students in the UT Knoxville class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 22%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | UT Knoxville | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 11% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 19% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 22% | 23.72% |
21 first-time / part-time students or 78% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
11 transferred to another institution.
UT Knoxville lost contact with the remaining 10 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 11 | 52.38% |
| Dropped Out | 10 | 47.62% |
1370 UT Knoxville students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 23.54% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 68%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 69%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | UT Knoxville | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 68% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 69% | 55.07% |
420 non first-time / part-time students or 31% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
262 transferred to another institution.
UT Knoxville lost contact with the remaining 156 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 0.48% |
| Transferred | 262 | 62.38% |
| Dropped Out | 156 | 37.14% |
192 UT Knoxville students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 3.30% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 45%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 47%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | UT Knoxville | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 45% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 47% | 37.80% |
102 non first-time / part-time students or 53% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
58 transferred to another institution.
UT Knoxville lost contact with the remaining 44 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 58 | 56.86% |
| Dropped Out | 44 | 43.14% |
