The University of Tennessee System has standardized its language across all campuses to include standardized test scores in its guaranteed admissions requirements for top-performing high school seniors.

The biggest change to the guaranteed admissions policy, which is less than one year old, most applies to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The flagship campus previously did not require an ACT or SAT score for guaranteed admission. UT Chattanooga, UT Martin and UT Southern did.

The ACT and SAT score requirements, which vary between universities, are in addition to requirements related to student performance and class standing.

Previously, UT Knoxville only required a 4.0 cumulative GPA or that students finish in the top 10% of their class for guaranteed admission. Other campuses had their own requirements, including a lower GPA benchmark and an ACT score.

Here’s how the new policy, approved at the UT System Board of Trustees meeting June 25, will work for students applying for fall 2025:

For UT Knoxville

• Students must get either a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) or finish in the top 10% of their high school graduating class.
• And students need a 24 ACT composite score (or an SAT score of 1160-1190 or higher).

For UT Chattanooga, UT Martin and UT Southern:

• Students must get either at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA or finish in the top 10% of their high school graduating class.
• And students need a 23 ACT composite score (or an SAT score of 1130-1150 or higher).

The original guaranteed admissions policy was approved in September 2023 as a way to give top-earning high schoolers in Tennessee the opportunity to receive early admission to any UT campus across the state.

Why the University of Tennessee changed the guaranteed admissions policy

Only 30% of Tennessee high schools reported class ranking data to UT for the high school graduating class of 2024, according to UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman. That’s just 226 of 740 high schools.

The original guaranteed admissions policy also was challenged by the lower requirements from UT Martin, UT Chattanooga and UT Southern. Their policies, which required a 3.2 GPA and 23 ACT composite score, were so close to standard admission criteria that prospective students were worried no guaranteed admission would mean no admission at all, according to Bernie Savarese, vice president for academic affairs, research and student success for the UT System.

When the UT System Board of Trustees kicked off its annual meeting June 24, Savarese presented a different version of the proposed changes that would have made 4.0 the required GPA for all campuses. The top 10% criteria also would have been dropped.

But because the guaranteed admissions policy is so new, the board was hesitant to make such drastic changes. The policy needs more time for data to accrue before it can be reevaluated at a higher level, trustee Jamie Woodson said during the meeting.

Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.

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As winter tightened its grip on Tennessee earlier this year, an HSUS-led initiative brought warmth to pets and the hearts of their owners. Across the state, families in under-resourced areas began receiving visits from local animal care centers, delivering insulated doghouses for their beloved companions, all provided free of charge.

While hundreds of thousands of dogs live outdoors in rural and urban areas across the country, the lack of a clear legal definition of adequate shelter for outdoor dogs in Tennessee had left both animals and their owners uniquely vulnerable. The law was open to interpretation by pet owners, law enforcement agencies and the courts, making it tough for authorities to enforce and for pet owners to understand. This ambiguity meant that enforcement efforts could sometimes be too harsh or not protective enough, causing harm to both people and animals. It also left many owners unsure if what they had—or what they could afford—qualified as adequate shelter for their pets.

But thanks to our advocacy and the support of state legislators, Tennessee became the newest state to define what constitutes proper shelter for dogs. The legislative win creates clear and reasonable expectations for the humane treatment of dogs, laying the groundwork for a more compassionate and equitable approach to animal welfare.

Three families have sued Tennessee and its Department of Children’s Services (DCS), alleging unconstitutional mistreatment and “barbaric violence” faced by young people with disabilities in juvenile detention centers.

The sweeping 114-page lawsuit, filed in federal court on Wednesday, alleges multiple instances of children being subject to violent assaults from facility staff and other residents, including one instance of multiple staff allegedly pepper spraying a shackled boy who was then blocked from seeking medical care for 12 hours.

The plaintiffs also named Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds in the lawsuit, arguing state officials have failed to provide basic supports for youth in Tennessee custody such as education and mental and medical health care. The lawsuit alleges at least one child was held in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day and not allowed to attend school. Staff instead slid homework packets under his door, plaintiffs allege.

“All children deserve appropriate education and healthcare. All children deserve to feel safe,” Jasmine Miller, an attorney on the case from the Youth Law Center, said in a news release. “Across the country, we are seeing real progress in juvenile justice reform and how the most vulnerable youth are treated once they enter the system. Unfortunately, Tennessee is not progressing.”

The complaint alleges the defendants fail to screen youth in their custody for disabilities and provide accommodations or treatment, and instead punish the children for the symptoms of their disabilities, “using violent and abusive measures like solitary confinement, pepper spray, and peer-on-peer violence as behavior management tools.”

Disability Rights Tennessee, a nonprofit legal services organization, is both a plaintiff in the lawsuit and part of the legal team suing the state. The children currently or formerly in DCS custody, who are identified by pseudonyms in the lawsuit, are seeking to make the lawsuit a class action on behalf of all young people with disabilities in or “at imminent risk” of being in DCS custody. A judge will have to decide whether to certify the class.

“The State should recognize disabilities and trauma in the youth they serve and address those disabilities instead of ignoring them. They should provide safe environments,” Jack Derryberry, Disability Rights Tennessee’s legal director, said in the news release. “We have spent the last two years doing everything in our power to effect change in these systems, without success. At this point, we have no choice but to ask the Courts to step in to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, which represents the state in lawsuits, did not respond to a request for comment sent shortly before noon Wednesday.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMealins.