Public · University

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tennessee · Midsize city

81.1%
Admit rate
$14,265
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$51,151
Median earnings

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Chattanooga, Tennessee (midsize city setting), enrolling 10,074 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 10,074 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 81% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southern ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga's admitted students.

Admit rate
81.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1013–1210
Avg GPA (est.)
3.30

Enter a test score to see where you land against The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Sites dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period (c. 10,000 BCE) show continuous human occupation through the Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian/Muskogean/Yuchi (900–1714 CE), and Cherokee (1776–1838) periods. Chattanooga has been referred to in pop culture numerous times over the decades, including in books, documentaries, films, TV shows, and more. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
308 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)

How The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga compares

Selectivity81.1%

More selective than 43% · #26 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1147

Higher than 44%

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 41% · #23 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention73%

Higher than 38%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,151

Higher than 41% · #15 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$14,265

Cheaper than 76% · #15 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$19,500

Lower than 78%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment10,074

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Tennessee.

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

11,647students
  • Undergraduate10,07486%
  • Graduate1,57314%

Undergraduates by gender

10,074undergrads
  • Women5,85358%
  • Men4,22142%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White74%
  • Black9.8%
  • Hispanic6.7%
  • Asian3.1%
  • Other or multiracial6.3%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
10,074
Graduate enrollment
1,573
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
33%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$46,549
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$91,629
Endowment
$215,568,292

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,381 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee88%
  • Other U.S. states12%

Most first-years stay in state — The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga draws overwhelmingly from Tennessee.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
81.1%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1013–1210
SAT average
1147
SAT reading
513–620
SAT math
500–590
ACT composite
20–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.30

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,448
Out-of-state tuition
$18,512
Room & board
$12,604
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$25,489
Average net price
$14,265

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
35%
First-year retention
73%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,209
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,151
Median debt at graduation
$19,500
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
52%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
43%
First-generation
43%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,557
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
35%
Housing charge (year)
$7,442
Meal plan (year)
$4,464
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southern Conference
Varsity athletes
434 (202 men · 232 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Football117
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)76
Volleyball55
Basketball31
Wrestling31
Soccer27
Softball27
Golf20
Tennis20
Beach Volleyball17
Cross Country13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
32
Property offenses (2022–2024)
48

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (11,775 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

27reported offenses a year
11 violent a year16 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
8.7
Motor vehicle theft
6.7
Rape
4.3
Fondling
3.3
Aggravated assault
2.3
Robbery
0.7
Arson
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,876
$30–48k
$10,919
$48–75k
$13,594
$75–110k
$17,374
$110k+
$19,137

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$60,594

$13,594/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

61%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,279
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 61% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,279. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,229 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$51,151
Typical debt at graduation
$19,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$46,485
Men
$59,199

Men out-earn women by $12,714 (27%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
58.6″
Annual snow
3.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.06.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lookout Mtn-Point Park, TN US station (3.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga side by side →

Colleges near The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.