Public research university in Lubbock, TX. — it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University System.

The university's student enrollment is the seventh-largest in Texas as of the Fall 2018 semester. As of fall 2020, there were 40,322 students (33,269 undergraduate and 7,053 graduate) enrolled at Texas Tech.[10] With over 25% of its undergraduate student population identifying as Hispanic, Texas Tech University is a designated Hispanic-serving institution (HSI).

The university offers degrees in more than 150 courses of study through 13 colleges and hosts 60 research centers and institutes. Texas Tech University has awarded over 200,000 degrees since 1927, including over 40,000 graduate and professional degrees. Texas Tech is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity."

The Spanish Renaissance-themed campus, described by author James Michener as "the most beautiful west of the Mississippi until you get to Stanford", has been awarded the Grand Award for excellence in grounds-keeping, and has been noted for possessing a public art collection among the ten best in the United States.