KNOXVILLE — Despite declining national college enrollment trends, the University of Tennessee System (ݮƵ System) has experienced five consecutive years of record growth, with a current enrollment of 62,208 students, marking a 18.4% increase since 2020. This growth trajectory positions the ݮƵ System to exceed its 2030 goal of 71,000 students across all campuses.
“This strong growth demonstrates the effectiveness of the System’s efforts to expand access, enhance recruitment and support student success, positioning ݮƵ to surpass its long-term enrollment targets well ahead of schedule,” ݮƵ System President Randy Boyd said.
All ݮƵ undergraduate campuses experienced enrollment gains, with the flagship ݮƵ Knoxville recording a 26.7% increase in enrollment from 2020. The ݮƵ System’s newest campus, ݮƵ Southern, posted a 28.8% increase from 2020. ݮƵ Martin and ݮƵ Chattanooga had 5.4% and 1.2% increases from 2020, respectively. Enrollment gains from 2023-24 include increases of 8% at ݮƵ Martin, 7% at ݮƵ Southern, 6.7% at ݮƵ Knoxville and 4% at ݮƵ Chattanooga. First-year retention rates across the ݮƵ System increased 2% since 2020, while four-year graduation rates increased 4.9% since 2020.
Trustees also voted to remove the “interim” title and appoint Linda Martin as chancellor of ݮƵ Southern, retroactively to July 1, 2022. Martin became interim chancellor in Fall 2022 and committed to stay at ݮƵ Southern through the 2024-25 academic year.
The strategic and master plans for the ݮƵ Institute of Agriculture were also approved by trustees, which will serve as the roadmap to ensuring the institute is serving the state, nation and world at the highest level possible.
“As one of the few land-grant institutes of agriculture in the country, and with agriculture serving as the primary industry in our state, we are uniquely poised to serve Tennessee and beyond,” said Keith Carver, senior vice chancellor and senior vice president of the ݮƵ Institute of Agriculture.
The board also received an update on the ݮƵ research enterprise, in which total research expenditures increased 7% in the last year to more than $484 million, and increased 16% in the last five years.
In other business, trustees approved:
- Affiliation agreements with the ݮƵ Foundation, ݮƵ Athletics Foundation (Knoxville), Methodist Healthcare (Memphis), East Tennessee Children’s Hospital (Knoxville)
- Authorization for ݮƵ Martin to proceed with design and construction of a new residence hall, with associated financing approvals from the Tennessee State School Bond Authority
- Budget adjustment, which will be supported by gifts, for the Lindsey Nelson Stadium renovation project to address identified soil and utility conditions
- Board policies on institutional accreditation, research security and affiliated foundations
Archived video of the committee and full board meetings can be accessed at .
About the University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a statewide system of higher education with campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pulaski, Martin and Memphis; the ݮƵ Institute of Agriculture with a presence in every Tennessee county; and the statewide Institute for Public Service. The ݮƵ System manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its ݮƵ-Battelle partnership; enrolls about 62,000 students statewide; produces about 14,000 new graduates every year; and represents more than 454,000 alumni around the world.