A message from the interim president

Randy Boyd at the 2019 State of the University Address

As a first-generation college graduate, obtaining my four-year degree was a game changer in my life, and for far too long the dream of attending college has been out of reach for countless young people due to strained, stressed and stretched family finances.

UT Promise is an opportunity for UT to take a lead role in ensuring students can achieve their dreams of obtaining an undergraduate college degree. Simply put, UT Promise will provide free tuition to qualifying Tennessee residents enrolling at UT campuses located in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin. It’s a last-dollar scholarship program that will guarantee free tuition and fees for students with a family household income of less than $50,000 after other financial aid is received.

The University of Tennessee Foundation also launched the UT Promise Endowment campaign to help fund this initiative. In the interim, the university will cover the cost. This endowment will allow this to truly be a promise and guarantee for years to come. To learn more about UT Promise or to make a donation, visit: tennessee.edu/ut-promise/.

The future of the state depends on UT graduating more students, so when you talk about game changers, UT Promise is a critically important tool in helping to ease the financial burden of college for our middle- and working-class families. UT Promise will help us accomplish that while changing the lives of many Tennesseans through education.


Randy Boyd, Knoxville ’79