Texas Tech University: Cost, Graduate Salary, Acceptance Rate and Return on Investment
Texas Tech University is a public college in Lubbock, TX. Students pay about $19,070 a year in net price, and the median graduate earns $62,454 ten years after enrolling. By our Degree-ROI measure the degree pays back in about 6.2 years and adds $59,760 over a decade, ranking it #247 of 918 (top 28%) by value added.
What is Texas Tech University's acceptance rate?
Texas Tech University has an acceptance rate of 72.7%, which makes it moderately selective. It is a public institution in Lubbock, TX enrolling about 32,394 students, with a 68.1% graduation rate.
How much does Texas Tech University cost?
Texas Tech University costs about $19,070 per year in average net price, what a typical student actually pays after grants and scholarships. Over four years, including typical borrowing, that totals roughly $97,780. Published sticker cost of attendance is $27,443 per year.
How much do Texas Tech University graduates earn?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Texas Tech University student earns $62,454 per year. That is $15,754 more than the $46,700 that the typical worker with only a high-school diploma earns.
Is Texas Tech University worth it? Degree ROI and payback period
Texas Tech University pays back its roughly $97,780 cost in about 6.2 years, then keeps returning the earnings premium. Over the first decade the degree adds about $59,760 net of cost, a 1.61x return on the money invested. That ranks it #247 of 918 (top 28%) by value added. Its above-median value is driven mainly by public-school pricing.
Above-median value
Texas Tech University graduation rate and student debt
68.1% of Texas Tech University students complete their degree, and the median graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal student debt. That debt is about 34% of one year of median graduate earnings.
Texas Tech University by the numbers (vs the typical college)
How Texas Tech University compares to the median four-year college in our snapshot. Percentile is its rank among the 918 colleges that report both earnings and cost (higher is better).
| Metric | This school | Median college | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg net price / yr | $19,070 | $20,299 | cheaper than 55% |
| Median earnings (10 yrs) | $62,454 | $54,768 | 70th |
| Graduation rate | 68.1% | 57.0% | 72th |
| Acceptance rate | 72.7% | 75.7% | more selective than 56% |
| 10-yr value added | $59,760 | -$28,192 | 73th |
| ROI multiple (per $1) | 1.61x | 0.73x | 75th |
| Payback period | 6.2 yrs | 8.8 yrs | faster than 67% |
How Texas Tech University compares with its nearest rivals
Texas Tech University ranks #247 of 918 by ten-year value added. The five profiled colleges closest to it in that ranking are compared below on the same federal data: none of them costs less per year and 5 of them produce higher median earnings ten years after entry.
Texas Tech University is a public college in Lubbock, TX with 32,394 undergraduates. Its published cost of attendance is $27,443 a year, but the average aided family pays $19,070, a 31% discount from the sticker price. The median borrower leaves owing $21,500, equal to 34% of one year of median earnings ten years out. Admission is broadly accessible at Texas Tech University, which admits 72.7% of applicants, so cost and completion decide its value more than selectivity does.
- University of Vermont (Burlington, VT; #247 of 918; 78.6% graduate) costs about the same per year ($19,343 net), and its graduates earn about the same ten years out ($62,472). Texas Tech University adds $363 more ten-year value than University of Vermont. University of Vermont pays back its cost in 6.2 years.
- Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA; #252 of 918; 80.7% graduate) costs $14,243 more per year ($33,313 net), and its graduates earn $5,135 more ten years out ($67,589). Texas Tech University adds $2,559 more ten-year value than Whitman College. Whitman College pays back its cost in 7.3 years.
- Pitzer College (Claremont, CA; #215 of 918; 83.3% graduate) costs $15,121 more per year ($34,191 net), and its graduates earn $7,058 more ten years out ($69,512). Pitzer College adds $14,846 more ten-year value than Texas Tech University. Pitzer College pays back its cost in 6.7 years.
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick (New Brunswick, NJ; #105 of 918; 84.3% graduate) costs $5,336 more per year ($24,406 net), and its graduates earn $12,025 more ten years out ($74,479). Rutgers University-New Brunswick adds $98,906 more ten-year value than Texas Tech University. Rutgers University-New Brunswick pays back its cost in 4.3 years.
- New York University (New York, NY; #86 of 918; 88.0% graduate) costs $17,980 more per year ($37,050 net), and its graduates earn $20,055 more ten years out ($82,509). New York University adds $129,630 more ten-year value than Texas Tech University. New York University pays back its cost in 4.7 years.
| College | Value rank | Net price / yr | Earnings (10 yrs) | Graduation | 10-yr value added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York University | #86 | $37,050 | $82,509 | 88.0% | $189,390 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick | #105 | $24,406 | $74,479 | 84.3% | $158,666 |
| Pitzer College | #215 | $34,191 | $69,512 | 83.3% | $74,606 |
| Texas Tech University | #247 | $19,070 | $62,454 | 68.1% | $59,760 |
| University of Vermont | #247 | $19,343 | $62,472 | 78.6% | $59,397 |
| Whitman College | #252 | $33,313 | $67,589 | 80.7% | $57,201 |
Texas Tech University and University of Vermont share rank #247: Texas Tech University was added after the 918-college snapshot was ranked and is placed against it without renumbering, so existing ranks stay stable.
Paying for Texas Tech University
Net price is what a family pays after grants, so the aid a student qualifies for moves every figure above. Our sister sites cover that side of the decision: the Pell Grant 2026-2027 guide sets out who qualifies and the maximum award, the education grants guide lists federal, state and institutional grants beyond Pell, and the best AI tools for students compares what is worth paying for once enrolled.
Frequently asked
Is Texas Tech University worth the cost compared to other colleges?
By value added net of cost, Texas Tech University ranks #247 of 918 (top 28%) of the 918 four-year colleges we rank, and returns about 1.61x the money invested over a decade.
Is Texas Tech University expensive compared to other colleges?
Its $19,070 average net price is below the $20,299 median for the colleges in this snapshot, making it cheaper than 55% of them.
Do Texas Tech University graduates earn more than average?
Median earnings of $62,454 ten years out are above the $54,768 median, higher than 70% of the colleges here.
How hard is it to get into Texas Tech University compared to other colleges?
Its 72.7% acceptance rate is below the 75.7% median, making it more selective than 56% of the colleges in the snapshot.
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Federal data behind this page
What a programme costs, what its graduates earn, and what aid is available are published by federal statistical agencies rather than by any provider's marketing page, and the sources below are the primary ones. They are linked so a reader can check a figure here directly.
- College Scorecard publishes the federal cost, completion and post-enrolment earnings data used to compare programmes.
- National Center for Education Statistics is the federal statistical agency for education and the source most published figures trace back to.
- IPEDS holds the institution-level survey data behind enrolment, price and completion comparisons.
- Federal Student Aid states what aid exists, who qualifies, and what repayment actually obligates a borrower to.
- CFPB paying for college documents how education financing works and where its common traps are.
- US Department of Education sets the policy framework the accreditation and aid systems operate under.
- Department of Education laws and policy carries the rules that decide whether a provider or credential is recognised.
This page compares programmes on published data. Outcomes vary by student, and a reader's own aid package and circumstances decide what a programme actually costs them.