Tennessee Tech climbs to highest enrollment in more than a decade

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech University reached its highest total enrollment in more than a decade, according to fall 2026 census data released today.

A semester after sending off its largest graduating class in university history, Tech’s new and returning Golden Eagles helped the university climb to 10,773 students this semester – the largest student population since 2015.

The enrollment figures show that Tech added nearly 2,900 new students, including a year-to-year increase in transfer students, and recorded its second-highest freshman retention rate on record. Nearly 80% of Tech freshmen from the 2025-26 academic year are continuing at the university this year.

“Tennessee Tech continues to navigate the changing higher education landscape in a way that sets an example for other institutions around the state and country,” said Tech President Phil Oldham. “While other universities are contracting, we are expanding. We have reached our highest total enrollment in more than a decade just after sending off the largest graduating class in university history, while also adding new programs of study – from AI to architecture – and investing in our campus like never before. This is an exciting time to be a Golden Eagle, and we look forward to all that our new and returning students will achieve in the year ahead.”

Census data show that Tech’s new freshman class entered the university with an even stronger academic profile than many of its predecessors. The class of 2030 has an average high school GPA of 3.73, while 39% of new freshmen had a perfect 4.0 GPA – a slight year-to-year increase in both categories.

Tech’s top five undergraduate degree programs by enrollment are mechanical engineering, nursing, computer science, civil and environmental engineering and biology, highlighting the university’s broad array of academic offerings.

Tech’s College of Engineering saw the greatest year-to-year enrollment increase, followed by the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing and the College of Business.

Tennessee Tech is rated the No. 1 public university in Tennessee by Money.com and ranked as a “Best National University” by U.S. News & World Report. The university offers more than 265 programs of study, and Tech graduates leave with the least debt of all public universities in Tennessee. Learn more at www.tntech.edu.