Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-7-101: Rules and regulations for admissions

(a) The board of trustees of the University of Tennessee and the state university and community college system are authorized and empowered to prescribe rules and regulations and requirements for the admission of students to colleges and universities and to programs of instruction offered by the colleges, universities, branches or units of the colleges and universities under the control and direction of the respective board and system.

(b) Students shall be entitled to admission to the colleges and universities only in accordance with the rules and regulations and requirements as prescribed by the board and system.

(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), a public institution of higher education shall not require a student to provide the institution with a copy of the student's high school transcript or high school equivalency credential approved by the state board of education as a part of the institution's admission process if the student has earned an associate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.