Roommates & housing near University of Tennessee for international students

Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) runs about 20 routes and the downtown trolleys, with frequent service between Cumberland Avenue and the Knoxville Transit Center. UT's own T buses cover campus and nearby neighbourhoods, and a Downtown Loop route added in 2025 links campus to downtown.

Student fares

All KAT buses are free for UT students with a physical or digital VolCard, under a partnership that began on August 12, 2024.

Car

Fort Sanders and Strip residents can manage without a car; South Knoxville and west-side complexes are easier with one.

Room in a shared place

About $700/mo for a room, derived from the early-2026 Knoxville metro three-bedroom average of about $2,113–2,135 split three ways; Fort Sanders and the Strip run higher

Studio or 1-bedroom

Metro studios averaged about $1,127–1,145/mo and one-bedrooms about $1,342–1,375/mo in early 2026

Lease

Student housing near campus leases for 12 months, typically from mid-August; by-the-bed towers on the Strip sign individual leases per room.

Deposit

Knox County falls under Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which sets no cap on deposits. The landlord must keep deposits in a separate account at a regulated bank and tell you where it is, inspect within 10 business days of move-out and give an itemized damage list; skipping the account and the final list means they cannot keep any of it.

Good to know

Ask to attend the move-out inspection and sign the damage list only if it is accurate; Tennessee's statute gives you the right to inspect the premises with the landlord and note disagreements.

University Housing serves more than 8,000 students, almost all undergraduates, and UT no longer operates graduate or family apartments after closing Sutherland and Golf Range in 2010. Graduate and international students should plan to rent off campus using the UT off-campus housing listing service, which covers Fort Sanders, the Strip and other areas.