UT Knoxville Dorms for Freshmen, Explained

UT Knoxville dorms for freshmen are 11 community-style and suite-style residence halls, and UT guarantees every first-year student a room. First-year rooms run $3,480 to $6,025 per person a semester in 2026-27, before the required meal plan. Grant Thornham, our Campus Lead for private, student-led tours of Knoxville, adds what you pass on the walk from the Student Union to fraternity row.

Which dorms do UT Knoxville freshmen live in?

UT Knoxville freshmen live in 11 residence halls: Beacon, Brown, Clement, Dogwood, Geier, Hess, Magnolia, Poplar, Robinson, Stokely and Torchbearer, according to University Housing's hall styles page. UT's room selection page says it "requires all first-year students to live on campus and guarantees them a room."

Community-style: Geier, Hess, Robinson and the fourth floor of Magnolia. Most rooms are doubles, with singles in Geier, Hess and Robinson and triples in Hess. A bathroom down the hall serves 12 to 45 residents and is cleaned daily.
Suite-style: Beacon, Brown, Clement, Dogwood, Magnolia, Poplar, Stokely and Torchbearer. Bedrooms are typically doubles, and Stokely also has private rooms. Two to four residents share a bathroom reached from the room, cleaned monthly.
First-years only: Beacon and Torchbearer, which house 1,160 and 1,024 students in mostly four-person suites. Both close over winter and spring break.

Apartment-style Laurel and Volunteer halls are for transfer and returning students, as is Lakemoor Station, an off-campus master lease.

Older forum threads use hall names that have changed. UT announced in May 2021 that its trustees had approved renaming Orange Hall for Rita Sanders Geier and White Hall for Theotis Robinson, so Orange is now Geier and White is now Robinson.

The two styles differ in the bathroom, and their prices overlap. In 2026-27, Hess, a community hall, has the lowest rates, and a Clement suite costs less than a Geier or Robinson double. The three halls opened since 2025, Beacon, Poplar and Torchbearer, are all suite-style.

How much does a UT Knoxville dorm cost in 2026-27?

A first-year room in a UT Knoxville dorm costs $3,480 to $6,025 per person a semester in 2026-27, depending on the hall and the room, according to University Housing's 2026-27 rates. UT lists them as proposed rates, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.

First-year rooms, per person, per semester:

Hess: $3,480 in a triple, $3,930 in a double, $5,100 in a single.
Clement: $4,275 for a double.
Geier, Robinson, Magnolia's fourth floor: $4,500 for a double.
Dogwood and Magnolia suites: $4,805 for a double.
Beacon, Poplar and Torchbearer: $4,950 in a four-person suite, $5,305 in a two-person suite.
Brown: $4,945 in a four-person suite, $5,235 in a two-person suite.
Stokely: $5,585 to $5,965.
A single in Geier or Robinson: $6,025.

Every freshman living on campus must also buy a meal plan, per UT Dining. As of October 2026, both first-year plans cost $2,751 a semester with a two-semester commitment; the dining page lists no year. Tennessee Unlimited 7 covers every day with $300 in Dining Dollars, Tennessee Unlimited 5 covers weekdays with $400, and a student who picks neither gets Unlimited 7.

At those prices, a Beacon four-person suite plus the meal plan comes to $7,701 a semester, or $15,402 for the year, by our math.

How does UT Knoxville freshman room selection work?

UT Knoxville freshman room selection works in five steps, from confirming enrollment in the spring to choosing a specific room in late May or June. The dates below are from the 2026 cycle. University Housing says 2027-28 dates "will be published when they are available."

Confirm enrollment. UT's $250 deposit is due May 1. Processing the confirmation typically takes 2 to 3 days, and University Housing then emails that the housing application is open.
Finish the housing application by May 11 to join regular room selection. The application itself never closes.
Request a roommate, if you want one. Matching is optional and pairs you with one person. One student sends the request in the housing portal and the other accepts it before the deadline.
Watch for your wave and start time. In 2026 they were sent on May 15 to students with completed applications.
Choose your room. "During room selection you select your specific room, it is not a preference," per the room selection page. A student who misses this round can still apply, since University Housing runs an additional round for late applicants.

Does confirming early get a better dorm at UT Knoxville?

No, confirming early does not get a better dorm at UT Knoxville. University Housing says "Room selection start times are randomly assigned and not dependent on the date of confirmation or application completion."

What decides when a UT freshman picks a dorm is the wave. In the 2026 cycle:

Living and Learning Community members chose first, May 28 to 29.
Roommate groups chose next, June 1 to 4.
Solo students chose last, June 15 to 16.

"Rooms available in one wave are not visible to students in other waves," the same page adds.

The part a family controls is timing for the dorm application. Finish the housing application by May 11, the 2026 date. Settle on a roommate before matching closes, also May 11 in 2026. Decide early whether a Living and Learning Community fits: its application was due May 11 as well, and it needs the housing application done first.

Can we tour a UT Knoxville dorm on a campus visit?

Yes, you can tour UT Knoxville dorms on a campus visit through University Housing's small-group walking tours. Book on the residence hall tours page or call the Tour Center at 865-974-5287. The tours cover community-style halls with shared bathrooms and suite-style halls with a bath shared between two rooms.

As of October 2026, the page lists no days or times, so book before you travel. A family that can't get to Knoxville can open the 360-degree virtual floor plan tours posted for every hall.

The dorms also sit on the walk to fraternity row. Grant puts fraternity row, behind the rec center by the river, at "probably a 10-minute walk" from the Student Union, and the route passes dorms, a dining hall and the intramural fields.

To see the halls, the Strip and fraternity row in one walk, book a private tour with a current UT student: $150 for your family, 60 to 90 minutes. TourCollegeTowns is independent and not affiliated with the University of Tennessee.

Frequently asked questions

Which UT Knoxville dorms are new?

The newest UT Knoxville dorms are Torchbearer Hall, which welcomed its first residents on August 9, 2026, and Beacon and Poplar halls, which opened in fall 2025, per UT News. Torchbearer houses 1,024 first-year students next to Circle Park, at Volunteer and Lake Loudoun Boulevards. UT also says plans are underway to replace North Carrick, South Carrick and Reese Halls by 2029.

What are Living and Learning Communities at UT Knoxville?

Living and Learning Communities at UT Knoxville are housing communities where first-year residents share a common goal or interest, such as an academic field, a pre-professional program or leadership development. A student applies in the University Housing portal after finishing the housing application, and as of October 2026 University Housing lists January 24 as the opening date. A student who is selected pays a one-time, nonrefundable $50 fee, and in 2026 these students chose rooms first.

When do UT Knoxville freshmen move in?

UT Knoxville freshmen moved in on August 12 to 14, 2026, according to University Housing's important dates page, and classes began August 17. Early-arrival move-in ran August 9 to 11. Fall 2027 dates were not posted as of October 2026, so check that page before booking travel for move-in.

Do UT students stay in the dorms after freshman year?

Most UT students leave the dorms after freshman year. In fall 2025, 73% of UT undergraduates lived off campus or commuted, per UT's Common Data Set, and Grant says students start moving off campus sophomore year. Apartment-style Laurel and Volunteer halls take returning students. The next step is in our guide to UT Knoxville off-campus housing.

Sources

UT University Housing: hall styles, 2026-27 rates, room selection for first-year students, residence hall tours, important dates, and Living and Learning Communities, read October 2026.
UT Dining: choose your meal plan, read October 2026.
UT Undergraduate Admissions: next steps for freshmen, read October 2026.
UT News: "UT Celebrates Opening of Torchbearer Residence Hall", August 17, 2026, and "UT Celebrates Opening of New Residence Halls", August 19, 2025.
UT System: "Two residence halls renamed for Black trailblazers", May 14, 2021.
UT Institutional Research: Common Data Set 2025-26, section F1, read October 2026.