What began in 1794 as a small college in the Southwest Territory has grown into Tennessee’s flagship university and premier public research institution. For more than 225 years, Volunteers have been lighting the way for others, across Tennessee and throughout the world.
UT Knoxville, which includes the UT Space Institute and the UT Institute of Agriculture, serves the state by educating its citizens, enhancing its culture, and making a difference in people’s lives through research and service.
We embody excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement.
UT Knoxville is:
Tennessee’s flagship university and premier public research institution
Part of the University of Tennessee System, along with UT Chattanooga, UT Martin, the UT Health Science Center, and UT Southern
Classified as producing very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (Doctoral Universities R1 category)
Co-manager of Oak Ridge National Laboratory with Battelle Memorial Institute as UT-Battelle
A Carnegie Community Engaged university
Governed by a board of trustees with 12 members
Students (Fall 2021)
31,701 Students (25,067 undergraduate and 6,634 graduate and professional)
17 to 1 Student-to-faculty ratio
Academics
11 Colleges
900+ Programs of study
370 Undergraduate programs of study
547 Graduate programs of study
300 Study abroad programs
Academic calendar Semesters
Administration
Donde Plowman Chancellor
John Zomchick Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor
Athletics
Mascot Smokey, a bluetick coonhound
The Volunteers Nickname
23 Team national championships
197 Total SEC championship team titles
Economy
$1.7 billion Annual impact on the Tennessee economy
Faculty and Staff
1,586 Full-time instructional faculty
15 UT-ORNL Governor’s Chairs
University of Tennessee is ranked #218 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.
