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Volunteer Impact Academy

Be part of the next generation of Volunteers through the Volunteer Impact Academy, a program that provides students with the platform to impact our community by creating sustainable change through leadership and service.

Volunteer Impact Academy is an immersive four-year cohort experience designed for students that truly embody what it means to be a volunteer. As a member of the Volunteer Impact Academy, scholars will be equipped with the foundational skills to build on their personal strengths and improve our campus, local communities, and beyond. The program includes an annual scholarship, which automatically renews each year provided requirements are met. 

Applications for Cohort 2027 are closed. Cohort 2028 applications will be available in your VIP Portal on August 1, 2023. 

Meet the Inaugural Cohort of Volunteer Impact Academy!

VIA Class of 2025


Year 1: Self Reflection

Create your own definition of what it means to be a Vol 

Year 2: Campus Impact

Learn how to work with other Volunteers and make an impact on campus

Year 3: Community Engagement

Exemplify what it means to be a Vol in the community

  • 25 hour Service Requirement
  • Elevated Service Requirement/Position
  • Community Partner/Non-Profit Workshop Series
  • Cohort VolServe (Fall & Spring)
  • Team Building/Excursion (Fall & Spring)

Year 4: Global Transformation

Empowered by the connections and experience you have gained, prepare to make a global impact, and leave a lasting legacy at UT

  • Elevated Service Requirement/Position
  • 25 hour Service Requirement
  • Cohort VolServe (Fall & Spring)
  • Team Building/Excursion (Fall & Spring)
  • Identity-Based Leadership Workshop (Fall)
  • Career Readiness Workshop (Spring)

  

Program Requirements & Information

To be eligible to apply, applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • Be a high school senior
  • Have a completed admissions application on file to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for the upcoming fall semester
  • Have 3.0 core-weighted GPA or higher
  • Be actively engaged with the community through service projects, clubs, athletics, work, etc.
  • Be interested in personal leadership development and community service engagement

  • Eligible students will be able to apply through their VIP (Vol-In-Progress) Portal
  • Application includes three essay questions
  • Application deadline is January 15, 2023 for Cohort 2027 starting Fall 2023
  • Applications for Cohort 2028 starting in Fall 2024 will open August 1, 2023

When will admission decisions be released for the incoming cohort?

  • Decisions will be sent out to applicants in Mid-March every year.

  

The flagship campus of the University of Tennessee System and partner in the Tennessee Transfer Pathway.