Tennessee Tech climbs to highest enrollment in more than a decade

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WBBJ) - Tennessee Tech University has reached the highest total enrollment in more than a decade, according to their fall 2026 census data released Tuesday. A semester after sending off its largest graduating class, Tennessee Tech's new and returning Golden Eagles have helped the university climb to 10,773 students this semester, the largest student population since 2015. The enrollment shows that Tennessee Tech added nearly 2,900 new students, including a year-to-year increase in transfer students, and recorded its second-highest freshman enrollment 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 shows that Tennessee Tech's new freshman class entered the university with a 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. Tennessee Tech's top five undergraduate degree programs by enrollment are mechanical engineering, nursing, computer science, civil and environmental engineering and biology. Tennessee 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.