Lubbock Times

Lubbock County's six universities admitted an estimated 67.4% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 29.1% enrolled.

Of the six institutions in the county, two provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University.

At least 36,470 people applied to Lubbock County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 47,622 students enrolled in the universities, including 35,885 in undergraduate and 11,737 in graduate programs. In total 5.6% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (54.2%) and Hispanic (29%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Texas Tech University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 40,378 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
Lubbock Christian University	1,070	877	1,596
Covenant School of Nursing and Allied Health	--	--	336
Texas Tech University	35,400	23,718	40,378
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center	--	--	5,136
Texas College of Cosmetology-Lubbock	--	--	106
Wade Gordon Hairdressing Academy-Lubbock	--	--	70