A public R1 research university in Lubbock, TX, admitting 72.65% of applicants with a Health Sciences Center on campus, 30% Hispanic enrollment, and connections to the West Texas energy and agricultural economy.
Lubbock, Texas
Texas Tech University is a public R1 research university in Lubbock, Texas, founded in 1923 and the flagship institution of the Texas Tech University System. It enrolls approximately 32,394 undergraduates and 8,177 graduate students across thirteen colleges and schools, including the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business Administration, the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the School of Law, and the College of Media and Communication.
Business, engineering, social sciences, health sciences, and agricultural sciences account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. Texas Tech University is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Texas Tech University is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Texas Tech is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), a separate institution on the same Lubbock campus, provides medical school, pharmacy, and nursing training that creates a distinct health professions cluster.
Official website: ttu.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Texas Tech University scores 75.28 overall, rated Good. Outcomes (75.15) reflects a 68.69% six-year graduation rate and 84.91% first-year retention, both below the peer average for a selective flagship. Value scores 67.84, driven by ten-year earnings of $62,454 relative to an average net price of $19,070. Selectivity scores 59.20, reflecting a 72.65% admit rate. All scores use verified federal data only.
Texas Tech University admits 72.65% of applicants, making it among the more accessible Big 12 and R1 research universities in Texas. Texas Tech is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Texas Tech uses the ApplyTexas application. The priority deadline for merit scholarship and housing consideration is December 1; the final deadline is July 1.
Texas residents who graduate in the top 10% of their Texas high school class are eligible for automatic admission under the Texas Top 10% Rule. Admission to specific programs, including the College of Engineering and the Rawls College of Business, may have additional competitive requirements.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Texas Tech University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Texas Tech charges $11,852 in in-state tuition and $24,451 in out-of-state tuition, plus $10,742 in room and board, bringing the estimated in-state total cost of attendance to approximately $27,500 before aid. The average net price after all grants and scholarships is $19,070. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $12,457. For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $13,851.
For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $22,073. The federal loan rate of 41.09% and median debt of $21,500 are among the higher rates in this peer group for a public flagship, reflecting limited need-based financial aid relative to the overall cost. The endowment is approximately $978 million as reported by IPEDS.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $75 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Texas Tech University completes a majority of students it enrolls, though at below-peer-average rates. The six-year graduation rate is 68.69% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students, below the peer average for a selective public flagship. First-year retention stands at 84.91%, also below the peer average. The federal loan rate of 41.09% is among the higher rates for an R1 flagship in this peer group, reflecting the relatively limited state need-based financial aid available to Texas Tech students.
Texas Tech University graduates enter careers in energy, engineering, business, agriculture, healthcare, and law, primarily in the Lubbock area and across Texas. Median earnings are $52,588 six years after first enrolling and $62,454 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 83.98% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate.
Lubbock is the economic center of West Texas, surrounded by cotton farming, wind energy production (one of the most wind-rich regions in the US), and oil and gas extraction. The Rawls College of Business and Whitacre College of Engineering produce graduates for the West Texas energy sector, with both petroleum and renewable energy companies recruiting from TTU. Dallas-Fort Worth, approximately 330 miles east, provides the state's largest metropolitan employment market and is accessible to TTU graduates willing to relocate.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Texas Tech University enrolls approximately 32,394 undergraduates on its main campus in Lubbock, Texas, a city of approximately 260,000 on the South Plains of West Texas, approximately 330 miles west of Dallas and 120 miles south of Amarillo. White students account for 51.80% of undergraduates; Hispanic 30.31%, Black 6.10%, and Asian 3.45%. Approximately 27.75% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 32.38% are first-generation college students. Texas Tech is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
Lubbock is one of the largest inland cities in the United States without direct access to water, mountain, or coastal recreation, but has a strong college-town culture shaped by Texas Tech athletics. Red Raiders athletics compete in the Big 12 Conference; Texas Tech football at Jones AT&T Stadium and Lubbock's college sports culture define the campus environment.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Texas Tech University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Texas Tech University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 239 distinct programs across 28 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Texas Tech University operates at a student-to-faculty ratio consistent with large public research universities. 85.32% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty, above the peer average. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $8,554 per year, one of the lowest in this peer group, reflecting West Texas's lower cost base and the constraints of the university's budget model. The endowment is approximately $978 million as reported by IPEDS.
Texas Tech operates adjacent to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), a separate academic institution on the same Lubbock campus that includes a medical school, pharmacy school, nursing programs, and dental school. The co-location of TTU and TTUHSC creates a health professions cluster that is distinctive among universities of TTU's geographic isolation. The Texas Tech School of Law is one of two ABA-accredited law schools in West Texas.
1,562 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 405 | 26% | $151,221 |
| Associate Professors | 415 | 27% | $103,264 |
| Assistant Professors | 447 | 29% | $91,812 |
| Instructors | 13 | 1% | $51,623 |
| Lecturers | 227 | 15% | $57,875 |
| No Rank | 55 | 4% | $61,187 |
Texas Tech University's defining strengths are its UCD 75.28 Good score, test-optional admissions, 85.32% full-time faculty rate (above average), HSI designation, moderate in-state tuition, and the co-location of the Health Sciences Center providing health professions pathways on campus. UCD 75.28 Good.
The considerations: the 68.69% six-year graduation rate and 84.91% retention are below peer averages; the federal loan rate of 41.09% is among the highest in this peer group; instructional spending of $8,554 is among the lowest; and Lubbock's geographic isolation limits immediate metro employment access for students who prefer urban environments. Best fit for Texas residents who want an accessible Big 12 flagship with health sciences programs, engineering and business tied to the West Texas energy sector, and a strong college-town sports culture in an affordable setting.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about Texas Tech: what the Health Sciences Center connection means, how Lubbock compares as a college city, how TTU compares to UT Austin and Texas A&M, and what West Texas energy careers look like.
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