University of Tennessee, Knoxville Dorm & Housing Guide 2022

The University of Tennessee boasts an enrollment of over 31,700 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at its flagship campus in Knoxville.
The University of Tennessee boasts an enrollment of over 31,700 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at its flagship campus in Knoxville.
Of those, more than 25,000 are undergraduate students who are drawn to UT Knoxville for the strength of its programs in business, nursing, and engineering. The strength of its academic programs has led to the continued growth of the student population at UT Knoxville, which has put a strain on housing for university students both on and off-campus. With most off-campus communities already 100% pre-leased for the 2022-2023 school year, it’s never too soon to start planning ahead for housing options in Knoxville. To help sort through the options of on and off-campus housing and the benefits of each, here’s a rundown on dorms and housing options for the upcoming 2022 school year at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville offers three different types of on-campus housing for students: community-style residence halls, suite-style residence halls, and apartment-style communities. Community-style halls – also called pod-style by the University Housing office – resemble a traditional on-campus dorm where residences have a private or shared bedroom but have communal bathrooms that are shared by residents of the same floor or building.
UTK offers three different types of on-campus housing for students: community-style residence halls, suite-style residence halls, and apartment-style communities.
Units in suite-style halls have their own bathrooms in the unit, so they aren’t communal, but may be shared by roommates like in a 2 bedroom/1 bath unit.
The units in apartment-style communities include their own bathrooms, like suite-style, but also have kitchens and shared living or dining room spaces similar to what students would find in an off-campus apartment.
Here’s a rundown of the different types of halls and communities available for the 2022-2023 school year.
Community-style residence halls:
Suite-style residence halls:
Apartment-style communities:
The cost of on-campus housing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville varies by room type and community-style. In the resident halls, suite-style rooms with their own private bathroom are more expensive than comparable community-style units where bathrooms are shared. Students can expect to pay more for smaller, more private units – like singles – and less for larger units with more roommates, like quads.
The cost of on-campus housing at the UTK varies by room type and community style.
The University has not finalized rates for the 2022-2023 school year yet, but here are the proposed rates by housing type that students can expect for the upcoming academic year.
Proposed rates for community / pod-style units:
Proposed rates for suite-style units:
Proposed rates for apartment-style units:
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville encourages all students to consider living on-campus as space allows. Research has shown that students who live on-campus have higher grade point averages and do better academically than students who live off-campus. There are also additional educational, recreational, and social activities offered to students living in the residence halls that aren’t available to students living off-campus such as the UT Living & Learning Communities (LLCs).
LLCs are predominantly for first-year students but allow upper-division students to join. These communities are based on shared interests in academic majors, pre-professional programs, leadership development, and assisting with the transition to college life.
UT Knoxville requires all incoming first-year students to live on-campus unless they are married or living with a parent or guardian nearby the university and plan to commute to class. The University has this housing requirement for first-year students to assist with adjusting to college and enhance both the social and academic experience of life as a college student. Since first-year students are required to live on-campus, housing is only guaranteed for the first year and upper-division students are subject to availability when choosing to live in a residence hall or campus apartment beyond their first year.
Students who opt to live off-campus in the sophomore year or later have a greater selection of housing to choose among, including both purpose-built student housing and traditional apartment complexes.
Students who opt to live off-campus in the sophomore year or later have a greater selection of housing to choose among, including both purpose-built student housing and traditional apartment complexes.
Purpose-built student housing communities offer individual lease agreements that align with the academic calendar, usually running mid-August through the end of July. An individual lease agreement means students are only responsible for their own rent – not the rent for any roommates they may have. Individual lease agreements almost always require a guarantor – usually a parent or guardian – who is providing some financial guarantee that the rent will be paid since most students do not have the credit or income to qualify on their own.
Traditional apartment complexes offer a joint-and-several lease agreement, where all roommates are on the same lease and are therefore jointly responsible for the monthly rent. These complexes are usually at a slightly lower cost than student housing, but students are financially liable for their roommates’ rent payments and the lease terms do not always align with the university school schedule.
The Commons at Knoxville offers UTK students one of the best locations for an off-campus student housing community with a variety of buildings and unit styles to choose among.
The Commons at Knoxville offers UT students one of the best locations for an off-campus student housing community with a variety of buildings and unit styles to choose among. Spread across 12 different buildings in the Fort Sanders neighborhood, The Commons at Knoxville is located just a few blocks north of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus, and Cumberland Avenue. The community is within easy walking and biking distance of the center of campus and is just a few blocks from the restaurant and retail options along Cumberland.
The Commons at Knoxville offers one, two, three, and four-bedroom apartments. As of 2022, all units have gone through a series of in-unit upgrades including new flooring and kitchens but remain at some of the best prices in the neighborhood. For information about pricing and availability, contact The Commons at Knoxville team today at (865) 268-8255.
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