KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, for the second year in a row, is one of the best education values among the nation’s major universities, according to U.S. News and World Report.
UT Knoxville ranked 8th in U.S. News’ most recent “best value” index based on the “sticker price” for fees. Last year, UT-Knoxville ranked seventh by the same measure.
U.S. News’ “sticker price” rankings were based on the magazine’s quality ratings of top universities, divided by the total of tuition, required fees, and room and board for the 1995-96 academic year, the magazine reported.
The rankings and accompanying materials are scheduled to appear in the Sept. 25 issue of U.S. News, which will be available Monday (Sept. 18) on newstands.
Fees at UT-Knoxville are currently $915 per semester for an in-state undergraduate student and $1,139 for a graduate student. A typical student can expect to spend approximately $6,000 at UT-Knoxville during an academic year for fees, room and meals.
The top 10 best values, based on “sticker price,” included the following institutions:
1) Brigham Young University, 2) University of Florida, 3) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 4) University of Texas at Austin, 5) Texas A&M at College Station, 6) Georgia Tech, 7) University of Wisconsin, 8) University of Tennessee- Knoxville, 9) University of Georgia, and 10) Rice University.
Among recent UT-Knoxville accomplishments and achievements was the selection of a student, Jennifer Santoro, for one of the 32 Rhodes Scholarships awarded this year in the United States.
In addition, A UTK physics professor, Dr. Gerald Mahan, was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences.
This fall’s freshman class includes 282 students who scored 30 or higher on the ACT, a college entrance exam. A perfect score is 36. The group included 37 new National Merit Scholars, 32 new McWherter Scholars and 145 new Bicentennial Scholars.
UT-Knoxville Chancellor Bill Snyder said credit for the ranking belongs in part to UTK’s faculty, staff and administrators.
“Our process for allocating resources is paying off,” Snyder said. “We are making every dollar go as far as we can.”
UT President Joe Johnson said many individuals contributed to the rankings including the UT Board of Trustees, state elected officials, and Tennesseans across the state.
“They decided they kind of university they wanted — one that offered a quality education at an affordable price — and they worked for it,” Johnson said. “The U.S. news ranking recognizes those efforts.”
Contact: Dr. William Snyder (423-974-3288)