The admissions process at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) offers a window into the intricate workings of first-year recruitment and the key qualities sought in prospective students. As the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system, UTK holds steadfast to its mission of fostering excellence, diversity, and intellectual potential within its incoming first-year class. In this article, we take a deeper look at the admissions process with Clayton Alexander, the Director of First-Year Recruitment for the University of Tennessee - Knoxville.
How The University of Tennessee, Knoxville approaches first-year recruitment, and key qualities they look for in prospective students
First, Clayton went over what the admission approach looks like for first-year students.
“First-year recruitment is orchestrated by 33 admissions counselors and recruiters managing recruitment efforts in a specific territory defined by a geographic area and/or select high schools.” He explains that admissions counselors or recruiters often review applications submitted by prospective students from their area. From there, the admissions counselor will go over the benefits of a UTK education with the prospective students. As Clayton mentions, their overall objective is to achieve the enrollment goals that have been set by university leadership while also making sure they maintain the excellence and diversity of the incoming first-year students. “As the land-grant university and flagship campus of the University of Tennessee, our priority is to enroll resident students and then supplement enrollment with high-achieving non-resident students. First-Year Recruitment will always target future scholars who possess the ability, character, motivation, and intellectual potential to meet university standards for success.”
When it comes to recruitment, Clayton says, “This process involves strategic initiatives that attract and engage with prospective students, cultivate relationships, generate applications, and produce confirmations. Student Search, social media engagement, college fairs, high school visits, pre-college program participation, data analysis/research, communication and outreach plans (emails, text messages, handwritten letters), in-person and virtual one-on-one meetings, community involvement, and on-campus or off-campus events.” As you can see, outreach and recruitment can take many forms.
Have you wondered what recruiters are looking for in new students? Clayton explains that when he meets with a prospective student he pays attention to see how engaging the student is, if they communicate well, if they are serious about his institution and why, and if the student tells their story in a way that expresses what they are passionate about.
Insights on the college admissions process specific to Tennessee, including unique aspects or considerations for applicants and general aspects that most admissions counselors look for.
For UTK, Clayton breaks down the admissions process for incoming college freshmen, “Our application opens each year on August 1st, so seniors have time to apply by our Early Action deadline of November 1st. However, we do not have an Early Decision deadline.
There are also details to our application process that are not common to other institutions:
1) We are test-inclusive, meaning we require ACT or SAT scores.
2) We are self-reported, meaning students must create an “SRAR” (Self-Reported Academic Record) in addition to providing an unofficial copy of their high school transcript. Applicants can also self-report their ACT or SAT scores, as we do not require official test score reports from applicants.
3) We recalculate a student’s GPA and create a UT Core GPA based upon a student’s grades in the core subjects of English, Math, Science, History, a Foreign Language, and one Fine Arts course.”
Since there is a large volume of quality applications that come in, the UTK admissions process can be competitive which means admissions decisions tend to be more selective.
Clayton mentions that they conduct a holistic review of all applicants, which means they read every aspect of a student’s application; however, the academic profile will matter most in our decision. In general, prospective students that stand out the most will have been highly successful in the classroom, earning above average to excellent grades in core subject areas such as English, Math, Science, History, and a Foreign Language, and done so in a curriculum that exhibits progression, rigor or advanced study. The last component of a student’s academic profile they look at is their ACT or SAT scores. Clayton mentions that this will weigh heavily in their decision, including the subject scores (not to be confused with the Subject Tests). Beyond academic performance, UTK will look for students who have demonstrated leadership and dedication to activities they are passionate about. This can include having a dedication to services that positively impact the community.