UT Enrollment Stays Stable at Just Over 9,600 Students

Bucking national trends caused by COVID-19, UT’s total enrollment — including graduates and undergraduates — remained stable at 9,605 – down only two-tenths of a percent from last year’s total of 9,628.

UT sculpture in front of the Southard Family Building
Vice President of Enrollment Dennis Nostrand said the University’s strong enrollment among the pandemic shows UT’s appeal with prospective students, as well as the degree to which students enjoy their rich and meaningful UT experience.

The University continues to be more selective, receiving nearly 222,000 inquiries and about 25,000 applications for this fall’s new class of about 2,100 first-years. Among undergraduate students, continuing undergraduate enrollments were up by 184 students, while new first-years were down by 113.

Entering students’ SAT scores also elevated with one-fourth of the new first-year students being eligible for the University’s distinguished Honors Program.

About 60% of all students are identified as white/Caucasian, 14% reported as unknown, and the remainder of students are international, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, Asian, multi-ethnic or other.

More than 97% of undergraduate students are full- time and most under-class students live on campus in 12 different residence halls all built or renovated since 1998. Many upper-class students live nearby in off-campus housing.

Vice President of Enrollment Dennis Nostrand said the University’s strong enrollment among the pandemic shows UT’s appeal with prospective students, as well as the degree to which students enjoy their rich and meaningful UT experience.

“UT has a reputation for delivering a rich, high-quality educational experience,” Nostrand said. “Plus, once undergraduates decide to attend UT, we do an excellent job of graduating them in four years or fewer .” While more students struggled financially this year, UT provided about $75 million in institutional aid to assist them. Counting all sources, grants, loans and campus employment, students received about $172 million in total.

UT President Ronald L. Vaughn added that the University has worked hard to manage COVID-19, so that students — and families — are comfortable with the campus experience. UT is currently teaching and learning in a hybrid format, and is following stringent health and safety guidelines spelled out in its Spartan Shield Health Safety Plan.

“Throughout this pandemic, we have remained committed to pursuing quality and educational excellence, and focused on the health and safety of the UT community,” Vaughn said. “The fact that we stayed stable in our enrollment shows our success in providing an outstanding academic and co-curricular experience to students.”