Tech Enrollment Highest Since 2015

Tennessee Tech’s official enrollment numbers for the fall semester show the university’s enrollment ranks highest since 2015.

The official count shows 10,510 students are enrolled at Tennessee Tech. Vice President of Enrollment And Communications Karen Lykins said the university waits till the 14th day of the semester as students are constantly enrolling and dropping out of classes during the first two weeks.

“We have over 2,000 freshman students again this year,” Lykins said. “And that is looking to be about the fourth largest freshman class of all time, so there is energy here. There are students here that have already been in class for a couple of weeks and now we are just able to give those final numbers and we are very proud of those numbers this year.”

Lykins said the freshman class is top-notch as the average GPA is 3.67 and an average ACT score is 24. Lykins said the university’s diversity numbers are holding very strong at roughly 22 percent.

“That is very healthy for the university,” Lykins said. “Particularly for the Hispanic population. We feel like we are doing a better job serving in the Upper Cumberland areas minority populations.”

Graduate and transfer numbers are also up, Lykins said.

Lykins said Cookeville and Putnam County are major factors in bringing students to Tech. Lykins said in her mind the university and the community have the same goal.

“It is the whole of our community,” Lykins said. “We cannot recruit people to come to school at Tennessee Tech without them loving the community. This year there has been such a growth. It’s always been a great relationship, but there’s been such a growth in the activities that we can offer as a university that the community can participate in and that just makes us one. That makes us one more than ever.”

Lykins said as a marketer she wants to help people outside the Upper Cumberland understand what Cookeville is and what the community offers.