The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Campus Advisory Board heard presentations on the upcoming annual budget, student success initiatives, and accomplishments from a historic year for the university at its meeting May 12. The board approved the new budget, sending it to the UT Board of Trustees to consider at its annual meeting in June.
Propelling the university forward
Matthew Scoggins, chief of staff in the Office of the Chancellor, opened the meeting celebrating the university’s historic year, with highlights that included a record number of spring graduates, growing research expenditures and a projected third straight year of record fundraising. He also shared achievements in athletics, student life, community engagement and campus improvements.
Scoggins gave a preview of enrollment projections for fall 2026, which are expected to increase. The majority of the growth is attributed to improved student retention. Scoggins also highlighted the UT-developed turfgrass research that will take center stage at the FIFA World Cup 26, which kicks off across North America on June 11. The research collaboration with FIFA and Michigan State University is the first of its kind, with UT researchers leading the installation, testing and maintenance of natural turfgrass at 16 World Cup stadiums and dozens of training facilities across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
No tuition increase for in-state students
Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Allen Bolton presented the proposed budget for fiscal year 2027, which includes no tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students and a 5.1% increase for out-of-state undergraduate students. If approved by the UT System Board of Trustees in June, the budget will mark the second consecutive year of flat tuition for in-state students and only the second increase for out-of-state students since 2021.
“We understand that tuition decisions have a real impact on our students and their families,” said Bolton. “We are committed to taking a thoughtful, responsible approach. Every adjustment is made only after careful consideration of the true costs needed to deliver high-quality education and invest in our campus — with the goal of keeping UT affordable and accessible.”
Mandatory fees for the academic year will increase by $148 for in-state students and $174 for out-of-state students, which includes adjustments to the fees for student programs and services, facilities, and transportation.
The university will raise its minimum pay for regular employees from $15 to $18 per hour effective July 1. The increase is essential to recruiting and retaining frontline and operational employees who keep the university running and whose work shapes the student experience every day.
Preparing Tennessee’s future workforce
Senior Vice Provost for Student Success and Chief Honors Officer Amber Williams outlined the university’s retention and career readiness goals for supporting students throughout their academic journeys and meeting the needs of the state by preparing Tennessee’s future workforce.
“Our mission extends far beyond the classroom. We aren’t just here to help students stay; we are here to help them thrive,” said Williams. “Every initiative, from honors to career readiness, is a direct investment in the human potential that will drive Tennessee’s future.”
UT’s retention rate — the percentage of first-year students returning for their sophomore year — reached a record 92.4% in fall 2025. The university expects first-year retention to reach 93% by 2030, with four-year retention hitting 70%, and wants all undergraduate students to participate in a career readiness program by 2030.
Williams outlined three priorities to meet those goals—investing in University Honors; growing support for students who receive the Flagship, UT Promise and Tennessee Pledge scholarships through the four-year Rocky Top Scholars program; and producing one of the most qualified, robust workforce pipelines in the country with Vol Edge.
About the board
The Campus Advisory Board was created in 2018 when the Tennessee General Assembly passed the UT FOCUS Act, restructuring the UT Board of Trustees and creating an advisory board for each campus in the UT System. The board is charged with making campus-level recommendations to the UT Board of Trustees on strategic planning, operating budgets and tuition, as well as advising the chancellor.
Public members of the advisory board are Allen Carter of Niota, Alexia Poe of Nashville, Dane Scism and Todd Skelton of Knoxville, and Tom Smith of Nashville. Smith was elected board chair during the meeting. He replaces John D. Tickle, whose term ended in March.
Scoggins recognized the outgoing faculty and student members of the board for their service. It was the last meeting for Elisabeth Shussler, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, who served for two years as the Faculty Senate-appointed member of the board. It was also the last meeting for student appointee Kaden Grace, a fourth-year economics Ph.D. candidate in the Haslam College of Business.
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