2025 College Rankings

The University of Tennessee–Knoxville is the state’s flagship public university and has long had a reputation as a sports school, especially football. It is not surprising that it makes our top 5 for social experience. Recently, though, Knoxville’s star has risen in academics as well, as it makes substantial investments in civics and government education.

UT–Knoxville’s flagship program in this area is the Institute of American Civics. It offers academic programs in American civics and constitutional studies, as well as events and scholarships. The institute was established in 2022 by the state’s general assembly, with the intent of informing the next generation of Tennesseans about America’s Founding principles, the economic and political institutions that protect democracy in America, and the value of civic engagement. Its overarching goal is to stand against the climate of distrust and polarization that marks so many college campuses—to reclaim “the values that foster successful democratic governance and ensure it persists.”

UT-Knoxville’s administration appears to be a laggard in its commitment to merit over DEI. The school renamed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy and appointed its former DEI chief to run the renamed unit. Needless to say, there is reason for skepticism about this change. Still, no faculty jobs currently require a DEI statement, and the school requires that students submit SAT or ACT scores in the admissions process.

As for other forms of activism, the school has adopted institutional neutrality, which precludes it from taking public stances on trendy political issues. UT-Knoxville’s administration is also supportive of free speech, another result of the state’s recent interest in improving the institution. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) gives the school a “green” speech code rating, meaning that the administration’s policies generally favor free speech on campus.

Faculty lean slightly left in the perception of students, according to FIRE. A negligible number of faculty are members of organizations intended to encourage the flourishing of free inquiry on campus.

Students are a more balanced group: there are 1.7 conservative students for every liberal student, and the ratio of conservative to liberal campus groups is 3 to 2. Students are generally politically tolerant of both liberal and conservative views. Very few students believe that disrupting a controversial campus speaker—whether left-wing or right-wing—is acceptable. Some 62 percent tell FIRE that it is almost never acceptable to shout down a speaker, 74 percent say the same of blocking students from a campus speech, and 79 percent say that it is almost never acceptable to use violence in these cases. There have not been any attempts at de-platforming a speaker in the last five years.

UT-Knoxville’s curriculum places some value on civic education. The school requires that students take courses in history and government to graduate. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives the school a B in its What Will They Learn? ratings, which assign letter grades based on how many of seven core subjects are required in the core curriculum or general education program.

Graduates of UT-Knoxville could be better served by the school in terms of economic outcomes. It takes a little over three years to pay back the cost of the education, longer than our overall average of 2.3 years. The school underperforms in its six-year graduation rate—at least from what would be expected based on SAT scores and Pell Grant recipient data. On the bright side, the median career earnings for students ten years after initial enrollment are about $4,000 higher than would be expected.