R1 ResearchPublic

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·memphis.edu
6-yr Graduation
51%
-11.5pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
20,276
peer median 23,108
Avg net price
$13,253
-$3.3k vs R1 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
15,084
15,084 candidates competed
Admitted
10,865
72.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,962
18.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
51%-11.5pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
33%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
51%
Full-time retention
77%

Pell equity

9.0pp gap
Pell recipients
44%
Non-Pell
53%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 9.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 192 Title IV programs, 61 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 131 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
192
Passing
61
31.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

192programs
  • Passing61 · 31.8%
  • No Data131 · 68.2%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
3
Safe
58
No data
131

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

61
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+16.5%
$38,440 vs $32,989
Linguistic Comparative and Related Language Studies and Services
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+18.2%
$39,001 vs $32,989
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+20.5%
$51,734 vs $42,937
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+25.2%
$57,099 vs $45,599
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+25.4%
$41,383 vs $32,989
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+29.1%
$42,605 vs $32,989
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+29.8%
$66,928 vs $51,545
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+31.0%
$56,248 vs $42,937

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

57
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
117%
$94,810 debt · $81,169 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Doctoral Degree · Education
84%
$71,013 debt · $85,070 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
67%
$41,397 debt · $61,683 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
66%
$30,500 debt · $46,494 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
64%
$33,160 debt · $51,734 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Master's Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
63%
$40,853 debt · $65,320 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
61%
$27,000 debt · $44,293 earn
Ethnic Cultural Minority Gender and Group Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
61%
$31,125 debt · $51,232 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1927Next review Jun 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 20

Action history · 29

  1. Dec 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Oct 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
  3. Sep 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  5. Jan 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,985
$30–48k$12,003
$48–75k$15,357
$75–110k$18,600
$110k+$19,252

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$13,253
-$3,314vs R1 Research median $16,568
Federal loans
38.8%
In-state tuition
$10,344
Out-of-state
$14,784

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 7,884 students received $46.3M in Pell grants, alongside $78.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
7,884
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$46.3M
$46,291,837 total
Direct Loans
$78.0M
12,963 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

8k
20
8k
21
7k
22
8k
23
8k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$21.0M
5,357 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$21.1M
5,174 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$25.1M
1,621 loan awards
Parent PLUS$5.6M
461 loan awards
Grad PLUS$5.2M
350 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 5,269 borrowers who entered repayment, 186 (3.5%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.5%
+1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
5,269
Defaulted
186
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
11.0%
2017
11.4%
2018
9.3%
2019
3.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at University of Memphis

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs140
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,773 total completions
01Business
80521.3%
02Computer Sciences
57015.1%
03Health Professions
47012.5%
04Parks/Recreation
45912.2%
05Multi/Interdisciplinary
3178.4%
06Education
3118.2%
07Psychology
2506.6%
08Engineering
2406.4%
09Visual/Performing Arts
1864.9%
10Communication
1654.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
20,276
12-mo unduplicated
25,221
Undergraduate
19,263
Graduate
5,958

Gender split

Men
40%10,214
Women
60%15,007

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
40.6%
White
36.8%
Hispanic
11.0%
Asian
4.7%
Two or more
4.2%
Non-resident
1.5%
Unknown
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
475
324 M · 151 W
Women athletes
31.8%
Athletic aid
$8.8M
Total student aid
Budget
$62.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.6M
$3.2M
Recruiting expense
$1.1M
$302K
Head-coach salaries
$790K
$150K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
98 M · 74 W
$2.1M
Football
165 M ·
$22.1M
Soccer
38 M · 33 W
$2.8M
Baseball
37 M ·
$2.6M
Softball
· 33 W
$1.5M
Basketball
16 M · 15 W
$13.6M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.06
89 offenses · 21,917 students

3-year trend

1.802 yrs ago3.561 yr ago4.06Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
206
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
54
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
66
Burglary
7
Robbery
5
Aggravated assault
5
Rape
3
Fondling
2
Arson
1

By location

89total
  • On campus89

Includes 23 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

13
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
3
Stalking
16 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons50
Drugs910
Liquor03

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
16.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
886

University of Memphis vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions University of Memphis selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectUniversity of Memphis
51%20,276$13,253R1 Research
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
74%41.6%38,728$18,109R1 Research
Mississippi State University
67%77.6%23,150$15,501R1 Research
University of Alabama at Birmingham
64%88.2%20,905$17,727R1 Research
Old Dominion University
46%90.4%23,743$14,170R1 Research
University of Louisville
61%79.4%23,065$17,634R1 Research
Peer group median63%79.4%23,108$16,568

Frequently asked questions about University of Memphis

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about University of Memphis.

What is the graduation rate at University of Memphis?

University of Memphis reports a 6-year graduation rate of 51% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of Memphis?

University of Memphis reports a total enrollment of 20,276 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of Memphis?

The average net price at University of Memphis is $13,253 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of Memphis?

University of Memphis's yield rate is 18.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of Memphis located?

University of Memphis is located in Memphis, Tennessee 38152.

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