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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Chattanooga, TN
- To the ocean
- 308 miles
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)
How The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga compares
More selective than 43% · #26 most selective of 37 in Tennessee
Higher than 44%
Higher than 41% · #23 of 43 in Tennessee
Higher than 38%
Higher than 41% · #15 of 43 in Tennessee
Cheaper than 76% · #15 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee
Lower than 78%
Lower than 18%
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
- Undergraduate10,07486%
- Graduate1,57314%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lookout Mtn-Point Park, TN US station (3.6 mi from campus).
What The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga graduates study — and earn
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 →
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina · Distant town · 41 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 10,024
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1157
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $49k
Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, Tennessee · Remote town · 71 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 8,698
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1151
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $49k
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana · Small city · 50 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 13,988
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1160
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $52k
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan · Large city · 2 mi to Detroit
- Students
- 15,587
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1156
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $53k
Coastal Carolina University
Conway, South Carolina · Small city · 10 mi to Myrtle Beach
- Students
- 10,377
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1143
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $47k
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska · Large city · 4 mi to Omaha
- Students
- 11,488
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1120
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $54k
Colleges near The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Richmont Graduate University
Chattanooga, TN · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Chattanooga State Community College
Chattanooga, TN · Public · Associate · 5,284 students
Academy of Allied Health Careers
Chattanooga, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 194 students
Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN · Private for-profit · Associate · 4,462 students
Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical Careers
Chattanooga, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 252 students
Covenant College
Lookout Mountain, GA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 939 students
Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,773 students
Dalton State College
Dalton, GA · Public · Bachelor's · 4,553 students
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.













