KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee System awarded 16,382 degrees in 2026, a 26.4% increase over five years, as more students graduated without debt and graduation rates continued to improve. At its fall meeting Friday, the UT Board of Trustees reviewed these results and other efforts to help students complete degrees, prepare for careers and meet Tennessee’s workforce needs.
More UT students are graduating on time and without debt. In 2026, 56.3% of undergraduates earned their degrees debt-free, up from 46.5% in 2020. The four-year graduation rate also climbed to 61.8%, an increase of 14 percentage points over five years. And 88% of 2024–25 graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.
“The greatest decade in UT history is more than just getting students in the door,” said UT System President Randy Boyd. “It’s helping them graduate with the skills employers need, without student debt holding them back and a strong foundation for successful careers. When students succeed, our whole state benefits.”
Trustees approved naming the UT Knoxville Student Success building the Compton Center for Student Success, recognizing a transformational gift from John and Cindy Compton that represents a generational investment in the university and its students. John Compton has served as chair of the UT Board of Trustees since 2018 and has championed efforts to help students stay enrolled and complete their degrees.
“Student success has to be at the center of everything we do,” Compton said. “We have a responsibility to give students access to a high-quality education and to make sure they have the support they need to finish what they start. Cindy and I believe deeply in the transformative power of education, and we know this center will help strengthen that commitment for generations of students.”
The board also approved an honorary resolution recognizing Gov. Bill Lee for his support of UT during his two terms as governor. The resolution recognized his role in expanding educational access, strengthening research and workforce development, supporting rural communities, and advancing major investments across UT’s campuses and institutes.
Trustees also heard how UT is expanding career pathways to meet Tennessee’s changing workforce needs. By 2030, an estimated 59 of every 100 workers will need additional education. UT is responding with career-focused options, including reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees, micro credentials, short-term training programs that may qualify for federal Pell Grants, and accelerated bachelor’s and master’s programs.
Two academic proposals received Board approval, pending final state approval, to support student opportunities and workforce needs: a new UT Knoxville bachelor’s degree in Information Systems for Business Innovation and an academic reorganization at UT Martin to create a School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, a School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and a Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
In other business, trustees:
- Approved the third phase of UT Knoxville’s public-private student housing partnership.
- Approved the fiscal year 2027-28 operating appropriations request for specialized units, including $5.28 million annually for three years to support the UT Substance Misuse and Addiction Resource for Tennessee (SMART) initiative.
- Approved an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for Judith Anderson Herbert of UT Knoxville in recognition of her philanthropy and longstanding support for student learning and writing instruction.
- Approved updated peer and aspirational peer institutions for the UT System and its five campuses.
Archived video of the committee and board meetings is available online. View and download photos from the meetings here.
