<\/p>\n
University of Texas students walk past the scaffolding-covered UT Tower as construction continues on the landmark, Aug. 26, 2026. UT enrollment grew again this fall as Austin-area universities largely added students to their numbers.<\/p>\n
Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Almost all Austin-area universities<\/a> are serving more students this fall than they did last year.<\/p>\n That\u2019s according to early fall enrollment figures from nine local universities and community colleges<\/a> from Georgetown to San Marcos.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The student number increases align with the state\u2019s goal of expanding higher education access and degree completion<\/a>. By 2030, the state wants 60% of working-age Texans to have a credential of value\u00a0\u2014 a post-secondary degree or certificate that gives families a positive return on investment.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how many students local universities enrolled:\u00a0<\/p>\n University of Texas<\/p>\n The University of Texas <\/a>welcomed a record 55,172 students to campus this fall\u00a0\u2014 up from 55,000 students last year. That figure includes 44,675 undergraduates and 9,487 freshmen, UT officials said in a news release.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Nearly 99,000 people applied to UT this year, a 9% increase from last year. More students are graduating, too: the university recorded its highest-ever four-year graduation rate at 77.7% this year with 16,801 degrees awarded at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.<\/p>\n UT did not share demographic information about the new class. The university was the top-ranked public university in Texas and a top-10 public institution in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report\u2019s 2026 rankings.<\/p>\n Texas State University<\/p>\n The San Marcos-based public university<\/a> broke yet another enrollment record in fall 2026 with 47,513 students enrolled\u00a0\u2014 marking a 7% increase from 2025, the university said. The university had a 3% increase in transfer students, a 67% increase in new students pursuing doctoral degrees and a 20% increase in graduate student enrollment.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n President Kelly Damphousse <\/a>said the university strives to become \u201cthe fastest-growing university in Texas.\u201d It enrolled more international students, grew online enrollment by 54% in the past year and expanded its satellite campus in Round Rock<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether, these efforts reduce barriers of cost, time, and geography while allowing us to manage growth thoughtfully on our San Marcos Campus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Austin Community College\u00a0<\/p>\n Austin Community College is still accepting applicants for fall 2026, but as of last week, the number of credit-seeking students had increased to 46,304 students. That\u2019s a 5% enrollment increase from the same time last year, building on a steady trend of increases since the district launched\u00a0its free tuition pilot for high school graduates in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n ACC has grown enrollment across students of all races, as well as among international, out-of-state and out-of-district students. Enrollment figures do not include students in college-readiness or community education programs, spokesperson Sydney Pruitt said.<\/p>\n Southwestern University<\/p>\n Southwestern University, a private institution in Georgetown, welcomed 345 new first-year students this fall, bringing the total enrollment to 1,353 students. That\u2019s slightly down from last year\u2019s enrollment of 1,434 students.<\/p>\n More than 20% of new enrollees are first-generation college students, and 45.5% are from underrepresented groups, spokesperson Andrew Felts said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhile our total number of new first-year students dropped by about 6%, we did see a 15% increase in transfer students,\u201d he said. \u201cWe also posted a first-year retention rate of 85.9%, which marks the University\u2019s highest percentage since 2015.\u201d<\/p>\n Huston-Tillotson University<\/p>\n Huston-Tillotson University, Austin\u2019s first higher education institution and only historically Black university<\/a>, reported a total enrollment of 1,059 students. The school\u2019s spokesperson did not respond to questions about a demographic breakdown of students.<\/p>\n President Melva Wallace said the institution has enrollment constraints based on a lack of on-campus housing. With the Moody Foundation\u2019s $150 million gift to the university last year<\/a>, Huston-Tillotson plans to build more on-campus housing. It partners with St. Edward\u2019s University to house students while it builds more residential space.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Concordia University<\/p>\n Concordia University, a small Lutheran university, reported 1,406 students this fall, a 2% increase from last year. The majority of those students\u00a0\u2014 87%\u00a0\u2014 are from Texas, and most students are from a racial minority, according to data shared by spokesperson Matthew Grilli.<\/p>\n St. Edward\u2019s University<\/p>\n St. Edward\u2019s University <\/a>welcomed 527 new students to campus this year\u00a0\u2014 a nearly 20% increase from the starting class in fall 2025, spokesperson Gwendolyn Schuler said. Of that new class, 80% of students are from Texas.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The university reported an overall student enrollment of 2,290 students, Schuler said.<\/p>\n University of Austin\u00a0<\/p>\n In its third year as a budding university operating out of a downtown building, the University of Austin\u00a0\u2014 better known as UATX\u00a0\u2014 now has 206 students. That\u2019s an increase of 58 from last year. About 40% of the current class is from Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n UATX students don\u2019t pay tuition <\/a>and participate in a liberal arts-centered education that rebels against modern academia<\/a>. The university is pursuing accreditation, a process that typically requires the university to have graduated its first class. The school is also considering opening a new\u00a0law school without the approval of the American Bar Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Austin Christian University<\/p>\n<\/p>\n