When you join a living and learning community (LLC), you will connect with other students who share your interests—right from your first day on campus.
What is an LLC?
Living and Learning Communities (LLCs) provide you the opportunity to live in a community surrounded by a close-knit peer group, all pursuing a common goal or interest, as you develop relationships that aid in your transition to the University of Tennessee. LLCs allow you to meet your classmates the first day you move in.
You can join a community based upon your interest in academic-affiliated disciplines, pre-professional programs, leadership development, interdisciplinary fields, or opportunities to assist in your transition to college. All LLCs share in their mission to advance student success. Our LLC success initiatives include engaging you with fellow residents in shared courses, connecting you with faculty and staff at the university, developing your leadership capacity, and offering you opportunities for undergraduate research aligned with our identity as a public research university. Each LLC is supported by a network of program coordinators and University Housing staff who serve the mission of their specific community.
Benefits of joining an LLC
- Boosts student chances of academic success
- Increases sense of belonging
- Integrates you into community with like-minded peers
- Builds lasting connections with faculty and staff within your program/major
- Broadens your horizons and overall learning experience inside and outside of the classroom
- Allows opportunities to engage and become involved from day one
- Enhances your study skills and allows you to participate in unique program offerings
- Eases your transition to the college lifestyle with a fellow LLC roommate
Join an LLC
All first-year students who are interested in participating in a Living & Learning Community (LLC) must first complete the online housing application. LLC applications will be accessible through the University Housing Portal beginning in February, after you have submitted the University Housing application.
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact University Housing at 865-974-1419 or housingllc@utk.edu.
Community Requirements
The selection of Living & Learning Community members is a joint process between University Housing and the sponsoring department or office. After receiving your application, University Housing will forward your name and information to the sponsoring department who will determine your eligibility. We strongly encourage you to thoroughly review the eligibility requirements on the community web page to ensure you are admissible into the program of your choice. This web page also showcases if there are any required courses or seminars for you to take part in as a member of the LLC.
Membership Cost
If selected as a member of a Living & Learning Community, a one-time, nonrefundable $50 LLC fee will be billed in the fall semester to your account accessible in MyUTK; please note that it may be deducted from financial aid. In special cases when space becomes available in the spring, a student joining an LLC will be billed a one-time, nonrefundable $25 LLC fee. Fees support LLC initiatives. The $50 fee covers both the fall and spring terms.
Apply for a First-Year LLC
Here’s how to apply to your chosen LLC:
- Become a Vol! If you haven’t done so already, confirm your enrollment in your MyUTK account at myutk.utk.edu.
- Submit your housing application. Review and complete the housing application sent to your email address or found via the University Housing Portal button on our homepage.
- Complete your LLC application. Applications open in February through your University Housing Portal.
- Select your room. Once you have been accepted into an LLC, you’ll be able to select from the available rooms for that community. Additional information will be sent in May; room selection begins in June.
Roommate & Room Choice Preference
The Living & Learning Community application will take priority over any roommate preference selected on the housing application. If you would prefer to live with a specific person, both you and your preferred roommate may indicate such preference when you register for room selection. In order to uphold the integrity of all the Living & Learning Community programs, all students who reside on a community floor must be eligible, active members of that specific community. If you have requested a roommate, then the requested individual must also meet the LLC eligibility requirements and be accepted into the same community.