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This fall in admit rate was not unexpected, however. Since the university announced in December that it would end a 10-year trend of growth in the freshman class, observers waited to see just how much the acceptance rate would drop.

On Tuesday, the University of Tennessee Office of Undergraduate Admissions released regular admission decisions for the incoming class of 2027. While the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Instagram page had a positive outlook on the admissions cycle, posting a celebratory photo congratulating accepted students, this excitement was met with disbelief in the comment section from accomplished applicants who were rejected.

This year, UT experienced record growth in the number of first-year applicants, totaling 47,838 applications by the Dec. 15 regular admissions application deadline, a stunning 40.2% increase from last year which was driven largely by out-ofstate applicants. By Feb. 14, the number of applications had increased to 49,790.

For the fall 2023 admissions cycle, the university reported an in-state acceptance rate of 59.4% and an out-of-state acceptance rate of 33.3%, a drastic decrease from the year before.

According to material presented to the Board of Trustees on Friday, the in-state acceptance rate in 2022 was 71.2% and the out-of-state acceptance rate was 67.2%. The overall acceptance rate in 2022 was 68.4%.

Though the final figure for this year’s acceptance rate has not been released and more acceptances may be issued for those who applied after the regular admissions deadline, the acceptance rate plummeted by nearly 30% in one year, according to figures from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

The 2023 acceptance rate, which is likely to be around 40%, places UT closer in line with SEC peers like the University of Georgia and the University of Florida.

The rise in applications and overall retention rates means that there will likely be growth in undergraduate enrollment in Fall 2023, although the size of the first-year class will be reduced.

“To deliver the best Volunteer experience for all students across all four years an in course offerings, residential experience and student life, UT will reduce the size of its first-year class and enroll fewer students than last fall,” the Office of Undergraduate Admissions noted in a public admissions release.

This adjustment comes after the admission of multiple record-breaking freshman classes, which have caused UT to face opposition from undergraduate students about the effects of campus overpopulation on student resources such as

“What we’re seeing in this decline of admit rate is fairly expected. When you see application numbers trend up as they do, especially a growth in out-of-state applications, as we’ve seen at UTK, you’d expect this admit rate to drop … That means being really thoughtful about what the right mix of students is,” Bernard Savarese, UT assistant vice president for student success, said at the board meeting on Friday.

The office boasted that this year’s applicant pool was the most competitive in UT’s 228-year history, which is likely a result of academic and athletic successes on campus.

The average academic statistics for admitted students for fall 2023 were a UT core weighted grade point average, or GPA, of between 4.04-4.46 and an ACT composite score of 26-31 or SAT Composite score of 1240-1400.

Because of this decrease in the size of the incoming first-year class, many high-achieving students were not granted admission, despite having statistics within the range of or higher than previous year averages.

While many commenters simply voiced their surprise at being rejected, some used the comment section to express their excitement about attending other universities in the SEC

“Imagine having a 4.3 gpa and not getting in … oh wait that’s me #rolltide,” Isabella Bobak, an applicant from City Charter High School in Pittsburgh commented.

Bobak applied to the class of 2027 admission cycle in hopes of becoming a business major. She was admitted to West Virginia State University and Ohio State University and received scholarships at Youngstown State University, the University of Alabama and Jacksonville University.

Despite these successes at other universities, Bobak was not accepted to the University of Tennessee.

“UT was my dream school. I absolutely fell in love especially after I toured it … I had no doubt in my mind that I would get in because I know who I am as a student … I was devastated to say the least. All I talked about was UT, all I could think about was my future at UT, and I got denied,” Bobak said.

Bobak believes that her 4.3 GPA, participation in honors classes and societies and work experience should have been grounds for admission, but this was not the case. Many students are experiencing a similar situation as UT increases their admissions standards.

For students who have been dreaming about attending UT like Bobak, the new admissions rates are disappointing.

“Tennessee was one of my top schools. I truly thought I was going to get in, but sometimes things happen,” Colin Meier, a student at John Hersey High School in Prospect Heights, Illinois, said.

Similarly to Bobak, Meier said he had above average high school statistics, with a 30 ACT score and 4.0 weighted GPA. Meier was accepted into

Michigan State, University of Iowa, Iowa State and Marquette University.

The number of applicants continues to rise, with applications continuing to come in for the post-regular admission period. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will consider these lateterm applications as space becomes available.

Correction: A previous version of this article cited the 2022 acceptance rate as the 2023 acceptance rate and understated the decrease in the acceptance rate this cycle.