KING
News Services
Louisiana Tech University has enrolled more students this fall than at any time in its 125-year history.
According to its fall 2015 head count announced Wednesday, Tech has enrolled 12,414 students for the fall quarter – an increase of 1,143 or 10.1 percent over last year and eclipsing the previous record enrollment of 11,975 students set back in fall of 2003.
Along with the record number of students attending Tech, the quality of students in the freshman class was highlighted by an average ACT score of 24.5 – the third consecutive year that mark has been achieved or exceeded. First-time freshman enrollment grew by nearly six percent over last year, which represents an increase of over 50 percent since the fall quarter of 2012.
“An increase of 50 percent in committed and high-achieving full-time freshmen over the past three years, coupled with a strong student retention effort is helping us to build a larger and stronger student body that will serve this state, region and nation,” said Tech president Les Guice.
“The student recruitment and engagement efforts of faculty and staff across our campus, led by the amazing work of our entire admissions team, are critical to highlighting the educational opportunities we offer and the experiences that await students at Louisiana Tech,” said Jim King, vice president for student advancement. “I am grateful for their efforts and all they have done to make this newest class of Louisiana Tech students feel valued and welcome.”
The record enrollment was accompanied by an increase in the retention of students from the 2014 freshman cohort. 80.5 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen from fall 2014 returned this year. Earlier this year, Tech reported a four percent increase in its graduation rate to 54 percent, which is highest in the University of Louisiana System.