Tennessee Tech University reached its highest total enrollment in a decade and enrolled the fourth-largest freshman class in its 110-year history, according to fall 2025 census data released this week.
Final numbers show that Tech eclipsed last year’s totals to enroll 10,701 students this semester, the largest student population since 2015. The university also welcomed more than 3,000 new students, including 2,028 first-time freshmen.
Tech’s population of returning students was boosted by another increase in the freshman retention rate, now reaching 80.1 percent – the highest in Tech’s modern era.
“Tennessee Tech continues to demonstrate what is possible when a university truly puts students first,” said Tech President Phil Oldham. “This sustained growth is the result of faculty and staff who get to know students on a personal level and are deeply invested in their success. It’s the result of academic programs that are aligned to real-world workforce needs and that produce career-ready graduates. And it’s the result of this broader Cookeville community that embraces our students and makes them feel right at home. That’s a winning formula that is unique to Tennessee Tech.”
Census data also show that Tech continues to attract high-performing students. The new freshman class holds an average high school GPA of 3.72 and a median ACT score of 24.2. More than one-third of students in the new freshman class maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout their high school career.
Tech’s top five undergraduate degree programs by enrollment are mechanical engineering, computer science, nursing, biology and exercise science – highlighting the university’s broad array of course offerings.
Tech’s College of Engineering saw the greatest number of new students year-over-year, followed by the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing, the College of Agriculture & Human Ecology and the College of Business.
Tennessee Tech is rated as the number one 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 225 programs of study, and Tech grads leave with the least debt of all public universities in Tennessee.