Texas Tech Enrollment Continues Record Growth, Reaches 46,296 - Texas Tech University

That number includes a record 9,532 first-time-in-college students, the largest incoming class the university has ever enrolled. The final count grew from the more than 45,000 students Tech reported on the first day of classes back in August, as students finished registration through the opening weeks of the semester. It marks the fifth straight year of enrollment growth at the university, and the total is up 3,841 students from last fall.

For Lubbock, that kind of jump shows up everywhere. More students means more bodies filling apartments around Tech Terrace and the Depot District, more cars competing for parking near campus, and more foot traffic at the restaurants and bars that lean on the college crowd to survive slow summers. Landlords near campus benefit. So do local businesses that depend on a steady stream of 18 to 22 year olds with disposable income. But it also means more competition for housing and more strain on classroom space and campus infrastructure built for a smaller student body.

Tech has now added nearly 4,000 students in a single year, more than some small Texas towns have in total population.