KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees has approved the university’s fiscal year 2027 budget, keeping in-state undergraduate tuition unchanged while increasing mandatory fees and approving new academic programs.
The budget marks the sixth time in the past seven years that UT Knoxville has held tuition steady for in-state undergraduate students. However, out-of-state students will see a 5.1% tuition increase. Mandatory fees will rise by $148 for in-state students and $174 for out-of-state students beginning this fall.
Trustees also approved new differential tuition rates of $175 per credit hour for undergraduate natural sciences courses and $252 per credit hour for engineering courses. University officials say the rates will help support smaller class sizes, specialized laboratories and equipment, and expanded student services, replacing course fees previously used for those purposes.
In addition, the budget raises the minimum pay for regular UT Knoxville employees from $15 to $18 per hour effective July 1. University leaders say the increase will help recruit and retain frontline and operational employees.
Chancellor Donde Plowman highlighted the university’s recent growth, citing record enrollment, student retention, fundraising, and research activity.
The board also approved two new undergraduate degree programs, a Bachelor of Arts in Civic and Constitutional Thought and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design, pending state approval. Trustees further approved a framework allowing future development of reduced-credit bachelor’s degree programs designed to help students enter the workforce more quickly while maintaining academic standards.
