The university s freshman class is smaller than in years past, but an increase in student retention and new transfer and graduate students has the total student body population to 11,339, up from 11,118.
We have realized a 2 percent enrollment increase overall, partially due to another increase in first year retention. That is a six-percentage point increase in freshmen retention in just two years, said Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. The strategic budgetary investment we made two years ago has already been paid back by the associated tuition revenue, and we have more than 100 additional continuing students making successful progress toward their degrees.
TTU s retention rates, or the percentage of students who return for a second year, is 76 percent. Increasing retention rates is a major component of Flight Plan, Tennessee Tech s strategic plan. It is also in keeping with the governor s Drive to 55, an initiative to have 55 percent of Tennesseeans have at least an associate s degree by 2025.
New graduate student enrollment at Tennessee Tech is up approximately 14 percent this year, with more than 270 new students choosing to pursue either a master s or doctoral degree.
Enrollment at most of the other six Tennessee Board of Regents universities was down this year. Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State University were the only two whose headcount went up, each approximately 2 percent above last year s numbers.
The TBR s community college enrollment figures mostly decreased this year as well. Three of the system s 13 community colleges enrolled more students than last year.
