UT’s new Volunteer Scholarship program will provide guaranteed scholarships for high-performing students starting in fall 2015.
“We are competing with the other top-tier universities for the best and brightest students,” Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said, explaining that the Volunteer Scholarship will advance UT’s Top 25 journey. “We recognize that scholarship money can be a critical factor in their decision process, and the Volunteer Scholarship program underscores our desire to have them attend UT.”
Kari Alldredge, assistant dean and director of undergraduate admissions, explains that the new program uses a student’s GPA and ACT or SAT score to determine their guaranteed scholarship amount.
“This new program recognizes and rewards students who have worked hard to achieve academic success,” she said. “We believe this investment will encourage even more stellar students from Tennessee, and around the country, to apply for admission and become a Volunteer.”
To be eligible, applicants must have a minimum 3.8 UT weighted core GPA. Then the dollar award is based on their super-scored ACT or SAT scores. Awards range from $3,000 to $8,000 for Tennessee students. Awards for non-residents range from $10,000 to $18,000.
Details of the criteria and awards can be found online.
The top-tier in-state award, when combined with the state’s lottery-funded Hope Scholarship, will cover tuition and fees. The top-tier out-of-state award off-sets the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition.
Admissions is currently reviewing applications and has already started admitting students. two important application deadlines are looming:
- November 1 is the priority application deadline that incoming freshmen must meet to be considered for competitive scholarships and the Chancellor’s Honors Program.
- December 1 is the regular application deadline. Students applying by December 1 are considered for institutional scholarships, including the new Volunteer Scholarship.
Students are notified about their Volunteer Scholarship award when they are admitted.
Three old scholarship programs—University Scholarship, Achieve the Dream, and Out of State Excellence awards—were folded into the new Volunteer Scholarship Program.
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C O N T A C T:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)