Texas Tech Passes Historic 45,000-Student Milestone - Texas Tech University

That number represents an increase of more than 3,859 students from a year ago, and it marks the fifth straight year the university has grown. In just two years, the student body has expanded by more than 12 percent, driven by both new students choosing Tech and existing students staying enrolled.

The incoming class also set a record for first-time college students, meaning a significant chunk of that growth is coming from freshmen walking onto campus for the very first time.

For people who live near campus, that kind of growth shows up fast. More students means more demand on housing along University Avenue, more traffic around the Loop, and more bodies filling restaurants and bars in the Depot District on a Friday night. Landlords, local businesses, and city planners all feel a campus this size differently than they did even two years ago.

Tech sits on a campus in a city of around 260,000 people, which means students now make up close to one in six Lubbock residents.