The Fall 2025 freshmen are putting the “Louisiana” in “Louisiana Tech”
If it’s true that there’s strength in numbers, Louisiana Tech is currently poised to be stronger than ever.
The Fall 2025 cohort of freshman students — a stout 2,402 — includes the largest batch of Bulldog freshmen from Louisiana in the University’s history, also its largest domestic class. This is the third consecutive year that Tech has reached notable enrollment milestones; freshman classes in 2023 and 2024 were just the beginning of this consistently upward swing in enrollment and sustained growth. At the start of this academic year, total enrollment at Louisiana Tech is more than 12,000 strong.
So, what’s the secret to Tech’s appeal? How does the University continue to win over the hearts and minds of high school seniors with an ever-changing world’s worth of opportunities at their feet?
Part of the answer lies in Tech’s atmosphere and its ability to make a campus feel like a community. For decades, students who choose to be Bulldogs have offered up the same sentiment from the moment they step foot on the University’s grounds:
“It feels like home.”
Tech has long had the uncanny ability to make each student feel seen, heard, and valued in their academic pursuits. World-class faculty, hands-on learning, small class sizes, and a charming campus in the heart of a Southern college town combine to create a sense of comfort and familiarity that reassure students they’ve made the right choice.
That feeling carries over to the people — the oft-referenced “Tech Family.” While the term has its uses in marketing and in selling the idea of Louisiana Tech to prospective students, faculty, and staff, it’s a label earned through results. The friendly environment so conducive to lasting connections creates the “family” feel that pairs so well with the sense of “home.”
And students, like freshman Kaylee Jordan of Natchitoches, see and feel it firsthand from the very start of their Tech experience.
“This is the most welcoming college there is,” Jordan said. “Coming in, even as just a freshman, feels like being a part of something bigger than yourself. They care here. We’re more than ‘just a number.’ I’m thankful for that.”
A serious university cannot coast on vibes alone, though. Those feelings of “family” and “home” are meaningless without the educational experience to back it up. It’s good, then, that Tech does just that.
“Louisiana Tech has long been associated with excellence, a reputation earned and maintained by our faculty, staff, and students,” Louisiana Tech President Jim Henderson said. “The Class of 2029 joins the Tech Family as the most prepared class in our University’s history; they stand ready to face the rigor of Louisiana Tech which will prepare them for life and career success.”
The University’s admissions team has also worked hard to secure this freshman class. Concerted efforts to pull students not just from Louisiana but the entire Ark-La-Tex/Ark-La-Miss region has increased Tech’s presence in other states, capturing the attention of high school students and drawing them in with Tech’s academic prestige and standout financial aid, like the Bulldog Scholarship that waives all out-of-state fees for most students.
But it feels especially rewarding to enroll in-state students. Between three university systems each with multiple four-year universities, high schoolers looking to pursue a degree in-state are spoiled for choice. Showing them that Tech is their best option and welcoming them into the Tech Family always feels like a win for the University’s admissions team.
“Over the last several years, there’s been a real focus on raising Louisiana Tech’s brand awareness outside of our area, especially in the southern half of the state,” said Director of Undergraduate Recruitment and Admissions Trée George. “Bringing high school counselors to campus and investing heavily in communication with prospective students has led to substantial growth across I-10 from Lake Charles to New Orleans.”
Tech’s strengths also lie in its ability to balance tradition with innovation. Established programs in engineering, science, and business anchor the University’s reputation, while the addition of new programs — like nursing’s RN to BSN or the interdisciplinary scientific visual communication degree — only fortify Louisiana Tech’s academic offerings. Students are drawn to this balance of stability and forward thinking, a place where they can honor the past and prepare for the future. The top 10 degree programs at Tech continue to account for almost one-third of the students’ chosen pursuits:
- Mechanical engineering
- Nursing
- Computer science
- Biology
- Kinesiology
- Psychology
- Electrical engineering
- Business administration
- Marketing
- Civil engineering
That preparation extends beyond the classroom. Louisiana Tech’s emphasis on experiential learning gives freshmen immediate access to research, internships, and leadership opportunities that students at other institutions may not experience until much later, if at all. Through interactive labs, service projects, and undergraduate research, the newest Bulldogs find themselves immersed in a culture of engagement from the beginning of their Tech journeys.
The homegrown 2025 freshman class is a reflection of these efforts. Their arrival signals a continuation of Tech’s momentum and serves as proof that students recognize the value of a Louisiana Tech education, an education that focuses on maximizing human potential.