Scholarships
A UT education changes the course of a person’s life. When you support scholarships, you remove barriers to Rocky Top and transform the future for Vols and their families.
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Our Scholarship Philosophy
Students are our partners in scholarship stewardship. UT regularly invites and encourages scholarship recipients to share their story and what the support means to them in a variety of engaging ways. Many scholarship recipients are eager to participate, but we do not require their participation.
Scholarship donors will be notified of the scholarship’s recipients on an annual basis. All scholarship recipients are invited and encouraged to share their gratitude with their scholarship donors. For those students who choose to participate, we will send a packet of responses for a scholarship donor’s account annually to the donor.
For those who establish an endowment, donors will also receive an annual financial report on their accounts.
If you have further questions about what you will receive, please contact us at gratitude@utk.edu.
Find a Scholarship
Student Scholarships
Scholarships help make a UT education more accessible and affordable. Explore scholarship opportunities and find resources to help fund your time at Rocky Top.
Apply For a Scholarship
Alumni Chapters Scholarships
Across Tennessee and beyond, our 42 alumni chapters are investing in the next generation of Vols by awarding scholarships to students from their regions.
Chapter Scholarships
Alumni Council Scholarships
Our Special Interest councils award scholarships to students who represent their communities. Visit our council pages to learn more about alumni councils and how you can support their scholarships.
Council Scholarships
Tri-Star Scholarships
Big opportunities start here. The Tri-Star Scholarship Program expands access to a transformational UT education for Tennessee students through three scholarships: Pledge, UT Promise and Flagship.
Endowment Scholarships
An endowed scholarship creates a lasting legacy of support. The fund remains intact in perpetuity, while its earnings provide scholarships for students year after year.
Set Up an Endowment
VOLstarter
VOLstarter is Rocky Top’s crowdfunding platform! See how you can help students raise money to fund dream projects.
Give to VOLstarter Projects
Alumni scholarships awarded in FY25 totalling $266,350.
scholarship awarded during the 2023-2024 academic year.
What to Expect
University
Will
Be in compliance with all IRS regulations and university policies to support our mission.
Encourage donor/recipient interactions but not require.
Be transparent in reporting on accounts.
Donors
Will
Be encouraged to interact with recipients when possible but not required.
Support UT’s mission and priorities through their giving.
Understand that the relationship is with UT, not the recipient.
Receive meaningful updates from the university on their investment and impact.
Recipients
Will
Have potential opportunities to build relationships with scholarship donors.
Be encouraged to share gratitude and personal updates through organized procedures.
Voluntarily partner with UT to share their story.
Scholarships have allowed me to pursue internships and other educational experiences outside the college classroom that have been integral to my education. With scholarships, I could still pay my bills even while pursuing my college classes and the internship program within UT’s undergraduate elementary education program.”
Sienna Reid (’25)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Annual notification of scholarship recipients.
- Annual report about the endowment’s financial status (endowed scholarships only).
- Opportunities to engage with leadership, faculty, staff, and students through various events and engagement activities.
- On an annual basis, UT will notify you of your named scholarship recipients for the current academic year.
- This information is also listed in your annual endowment report (endowed scholarships only) for historical record on the previous academic year.
All scholarship recipients are invited and encouraged to share what scholarships mean to them. Many students are eager to share their stories, but others may find reflecting on their experiences to be too personal. Whenever possible, UT will share messages from the specific recipients of your named scholarship, however, we do not require scholarship recipients to write thank you notes. Student and scholarship impact stories are also shared throughout the year both online and through publications.
