Important dates and costs University of Tennessee families must know before fall semester

University of Tennessee at Knoxville students and their families should mark their calendars before campus reopens for the fall semester, as deadlines are quickly approaching for tuition payments, parking passes and more.

For those seeking Tennessee Promise eligibility, the deadline to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid was extended to Aug. 1.

Passes are available for on-campus parking, which will look different this semester (more on that below), and students might also notice the ongoing construction.

Some of the biggest construction projects include a Haslam College of Business expansion, the new Croley Nursing building and a new dorm being built along Lake Loudoun and Volunteer boulevards.

Up next on the calendar comes tuition payments and move-in day for the fall semester, which is more expensive this go-round after the UT System Board of Trustees recently approved its first tuition increase since 2020.

University of Tennessee tuition due dates and more

  • Aug. 9: Tuition payments are due unless you're enrolled in a deferred payment plan, which comes with two additional payment dates.

  • Aug. 11-16: First-year students move in.

  • Aug. 11-19: Continuing student move in.

  • Aug 19: Classes begin.

  • Sept. 2: Labor Day (no classes)

  • Sept. 30: The second deferred payment is due.

  • Oct. 4: The first session ends.

  • Oct. 7-8: Fall break.

  • Oct. 9: The second session begins.

  • Oct. 30: The third deferred payment is due.

  • Nov. 5: Election Day (no classes)

  • Nov. 26: The second session ends.

  • Nov. 27-29: Thanksgiving recess

  • Dec. 3: The full session ends.

  • Dec. 4: Study day

  • Dec. 5-11: Final exams

  • Dec. 13: UT hosts graduate hooding and commencement ceremonies.

Admissions deadlines for University of Tennessee first-year students

  • Early action deadlines for fall: Nov. 1 to submit the early action admission application and Nov. 15 to complete the application.

  • Regular admission deadlines for fall: Dec. 15 to submit the regular admission application and Jan. 19 to complete the application.

  • Early action deadline for spring: Dec. 15.

University of Tennessee tuition breakdown

Undergraduate tuition and fees for in-state students is $13,812 total for the year ($6,906 per semester). Out-of-state students pay a higher price of $33,256 for the year ($16,628 per semester).

That doesn't include housing, dining and books.

Tuition and fees help pay for:

  • Salaries for teachers and professors

  • Research

  • Public service

  • Academic support services

  • Student services

  • Institutional support

  • Operations and maintenance

  • Scholarships and fellowships

  • Transfers

During its May 3 meeting, the UT Advisory Board estimated a total enrollment of 37,803 students for fiscal year 2025.

University of Tennessee on-campus parking changes

Parking passes are now available for all students at parking.utk.edu. Seniors and grad students received first priority, and the window for freshman opened July 31.

Commuters can choose from three types of permits, organized by zones. The zones are determined by traffic counts and are tiered based on their proximity to popular areas for students.

  • Core zone: $390

  • Intermediate zone: $250

  • Remote zone: $198

Noncommuter students are only allowed to access two zones: a core zone pass for $450 and an intermediate zone pass for $310. These passes are only available to students who have signed a UT housing contract.

The university is spending money to improve mobile pay options, update the parking website and provide better data for campus parking availability.

UT will add more than 1,000 hourly mobile pay spaces starting Aug. 1, but the university is encouraging alternative forms of transportations such as walking and biking.

Buses for students and off-campus parking options

Students can take Knoxville Area Transit buses for free starting Aug. 12. Faculty and staff also can ride for free, but only if they are going to or from campus.

Students, faculty and staff need to present a VolCard to receive free rides.

Students walk past orange and white balloons set up along the pedestrian bridge during the first day of the fall semester on the University of Tennessee's campus in Knoxville on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
Students walk past orange and white balloons set up along the pedestrian bridge during the first day of the fall semester on the University of Tennessee's campus in Knoxville on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

UT also will offer a park-and-ride pass for $99 to faculty, staff members and commuter students. Park-and-ride permit holders will park at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum in downtown and ride a UT bus to Neyland Stadium from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays.

For students and staff on campus after 5:30 p.m., KAT buses run from Cumberland Avenue to the Knoxville Transit Center across the street from the coliseum. Students and staff also can park in unreserved staff and commuter areas on campus after 5 p.m. with a park-and-ride pass.

UT will add eight more campus buses this year to alleviate campus traffic.

University of Tennessee dorms close for winter break

Residence halls will close for winter break Dec. 12, except for:

Residence halls will reopen Jan. 17 before the spring semester begins.

Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee FAFSA, parking and tuition deadlines for fall