Admissions standards at the flagship University of Tennessee, Knoxville are exceptionally rigorous, meaning there is no guaranteed low-end grade point average cutoff for automatic acceptance. While the university utilizes a holistic review process that evaluates high school curriculum rigor and optional test scores, the overwhelming majority of admitted students present unweighted cumulative grade point averages well above 3.8 or 3.9. Consequently, applicants with lower grade point averages face fierce competition in the undergraduate admissions pool.