Tech International Enrollment Slowly On Rise Again After COVID

Tennessee Tech has seen an increase in international student enrollment after numbers dipped in the aftermath of COVID.

Vice President for Enrollment and Communication Karen Lykins said Tech officials are proud of the report. Lykins said Tech received 73 new international undergraduates and 28 graduates this year. That compares to last year’s 58 undergraduates and 22 graduates.

“There’s so many elements outside of a university and Techs control that affect international students,” Lykins said. “Particularly when they can get appointments to have visas assigned or travel documents approved in their own countries.”

Lykins said the post COVID recovery has been slow, but steady. A total of 351 international students are enrolled at Tech this fall.

That number includes 189 undergraduates, 71 graduates, and 91 doctoral students. Lykins said that compared to last fall’s total of 287 international students.

“We did see an uptick in the number of applications that we received, particularly from undergraduates,” Lykins said. “COVID really made a huge impact for all universities across the US on the number of international students who can travel.”

Lykins said Tech hopes to see more international students in the Spring semester who hoped to attend during the fall. Lykins said many students got their school applications approved but unfortunately were unable to receive their travel documents in time.

“We admitted more this year, we are continuing outreach as always,” Lykins said.