TN Colleges of Applied Technology conferred a record 8,309 awards in Academic Year 2024-25, and registered a 14% enrollment increase

Students earned a record number of diplomas and certificates – 8,309 awards conferred – at the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) during Academic Year 2024-25, eclipsing the previous record set nearly 15 years ago, according to the annual TCAT student access and success report to the Tennessee Board of Regents Dec. 9.

Enrollment at the TCATs during AY 2024-25, which concluded with this year’s summer trimester, totaled 51,230 – a 14 percent increase over the previous year. Only five years earlier, during AY 2019-20, TCAT enrollment totaled 29,440. It has been increasing annually since.

The trend continues during the current fall trimester – the first term of AY 2025-26 – with total student registrations of 32,782, a 13 percent increase over Fall 2024. Final TCAT enrollment totals are recorded at the end of each term, with official Fall 2025 data reported in January.

The overall TCAT AY 2024-25 enrollment numbers include just over 41,000 students pursuing diplomas and certificates in the broad array of career and technical education programs offered at the public technical colleges, and just over 11,000 students in supplemental and special industry programs offered in partnership with business and industry.

Much of the TCAT enrollment growth is driven by a substantial increase in the number of high school students dual-enrolled in the technical colleges. Dual enrollment of high school students is up 20 percent this fall over Fall 2024   

When combined with community college enrollment, reported during the September board meeting, overall enrollment in the Tennessee Boaed of Regents system totaled approximately 153,000 individual students during AY 2024-25.

Key takeaways from the report are that the state’s public community and technical colleges are succeeding in their open-access, completion, and community and workforce development missions, said Dr. Russ Deaton, TBR executive vice chancellor for policy and strategy.

In other action during its quarterly meeting, the Board of Regents approved search criteria for the next presidents of Cleveland State Community College and TCAT Oneida/Huntsville, a new degree program in Artificial Intelligence Technology at Southwest Tennessee Community College, and revised fiscal year 2025-26 institutional budgets reflecting enrollment and tuition adjustments since the proposed budgets were approved at the June board meeting.

Approval of the presidential search criteria at the two colleges follows the resignation of Dr. Andy White as president of Cleveland State last month, and the announcement of TCAT Oneida/Huntsville President Dwight Murphy’s planned retirement next summer. Search advisory committees for each college will be appointed soon, comprised of board members; faculty, staff, students and alumni of the colleges, and civic and business leaders from their communities. Dr. Ray Brooks is serving as interim president of Cleveland State until the appointment of the next president there.

Southwest's president, Dr. Tracy Hall, presented the college’s proposal for a new Associate of Applied Science degree and program in Artificial Intelligence Technology, the first of its kind in the state. The program is designed to address Tennessee’s rapidly growing demand for AI-skilled employees in healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, business, cybersecurity and other fields. Southwest will announce details as the newly approved program moves toward recruiting its first students for an expected program launch in Fall 2026.

The Board of Regents also approved a resolution of appreciation for former Regent Shane Hooper, and faculty emeriti designations for six retired distinguished faculty members nominated by their respective presidents: four from Motlow State Community College and one each from Nashville State and Southwest Tennessee community colleges.

In other action, the board heard the annual fundraising report of the Foundation for the College System of Tennessee, and other informational reports and presentations on a new TBR Strategic Plan Metrics Dashboard publicly accessible on the TBR Strategic Plan webpage; the Tennessee Direct Admissions initiative to simplify the college admissions process, and the Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy presented to Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga.

Chancellor Flora W. Tydings’ quarterly report to the board included our colleges’ work in the state’s Correctional Education Initiative, Veterans Day activities and recognitions across the system, and the inaugural class of the Faculty Innovation Fellowship program, one of three fellowships in the system’s Maxine Smith Leadership Series. 

The meeting was livestreamed and is archived on the TBR website for viewing anytime at https://www.tbr.edu/board/december-2025-quarterly-board-meeting. The complete board agenda, executive summary, and board materials are posted at the same meeting link above.