UT Knoxville Guaranteed Admission for Tennessee Students: The 24 ACT Rule, the November 1 Deadline, and UT Promise

UT Knoxville guaranteed admission is open to Tennessee residents at Tennessee high schools who apply by Early Action and hit two marks: a 24 ACT (1160 SAT) with at least a 19 in both math and English, plus either a 4.0 UT core GPA or a top-10% class rank. For fall 2026, 6,265 in-state students qualified. Everyone else goes through holistic review, where Tennessee applicants also did far better than out-of-state applicants. And for families earning $75,000 or less, UT Promise covers tuition and fees for students who qualify for HOPE.

Figures below are from UT Knoxville's admissions office and the University of Tennessee System.

Guaranteed admission for Tennessee students

You're offered admission if you:

1. Are a Tennessee resident attending a Tennessee high school,
2. Apply by the Early Action deadlines: submit by November 1 and complete by November 15, and
3. Score at least a 24 ACT composite (1160 SAT), with at least a 19 ACT math (510 SAT math) and 19 ACT English (500 SAT reading and writing), and
4. Earn a 4.0 or higher UT core GPA, or rank in the top 10% of your graduating class.

UT uses the highest subscore in each subject from any test you send. The UT Board of Trustees approved the current version of this policy in June 2024.

Fall 2026 guaranteed-admission snapshot: 6,265 in-state students qualified, from 94 Tennessee counties and 395 high schools. Their middle-50% ACT was 27-33 and their UT core weighted GPA 4.25-4.56.

UT Knoxville by the numbers, fall 2026

Source: UT Knoxville Undergraduate Admissions, "Fall 2026 Release Summary" (March 9, 2026). Admit rates are our calculation from UT's counts.

Across all rounds, UT admitted 27,864 students for fall 2026: 9,042 in-state, 18,558 out-of-state and 264 international. Admitted students' middle-50% ACT was 28-32 (26-32 in-state, 29-32 out-of-state), and their UT core weighted GPA was 4.08-4.50.

Applicants who aren't admitted outright can receive a waitlist spot or a pathway invitation, a guaranteed route to UT Knoxville in spring or fall of the following year through UT Access Collaborative, Rocky Top Transfer or the Verto Vols semester or year abroad.

Fall 2027 dates and testing

Source: UT Knoxville Undergraduate Admissions.

UT requires an ACT or SAT score for first-year applicants. Self-report scores by January 20, 2027; only tests taken through December 2026 count for admission and UT merit scholarships. UT superscores both tests, and the ACT science section is optional for fall 2027.

That's different from the HOPE Scholarship, which requires a 21 ACT from a single test date and doesn't accept superscores. See HOPE requirements. For UT's automatic merit awards, see UT's scholarship chart.

UT Promise: tuition for families under $75,000

UT Promise is a University of Tennessee System scholarship at UT Knoxville, UT Chattanooga, UT Martin and UT Southern. To qualify:

• Family adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less, and total assets of $75,000 or less.
• Qualify for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship.
• Be a Tennessee resident and file the FAFSA by your campus's priority date.

It's last-dollar: it pays the tuition and mandatory fees left after Pell, HOPE and other public aid, with a minimum of $500 a semester that can go toward books, housing and other costs when tuition is already covered. Recipients must complete community service and mentoring requirements each semester; per the UT System, missing them makes a student permanently ineligible unless an appeal is approved.

What this means for you

• Tennessee seniors: submit to UT by November 1 and complete by November 15. Guaranteed admission only applies to Early Action applicants.
• Check both subscores. A 24 composite isn't enough without a 19 in math and a 19 in English.
• Test by December. UT won't count later scores for fall 2027.
• If your family earns $75,000 or less, plan on UT Promise plus HOPE. Together with Pell, they can cover tuition and fees.
• Out-of-state? Treat UT as competitive. About a third of completed out-of-state Early Action applications were admitted for fall 2026.

Sources

• Fall 2026 Release Summary (March 9, 2026) — UT Knoxville Undergraduate Admissions
• First Year Student FAQs (Guaranteed Admission) — UT Knoxville
• First Year Student Applications: Important Dates — UT Knoxville
• First Year Test Score Policy — UT Knoxville
• What is UT Promise? — University of Tennessee System
• UT Promise FAQs — University of Tennessee System