water slide. all wrapped within a 64-foot lazy river. but this isn t turks and caicos. it s lubbock, texas. and the two-acre water park is just one section of the student recreation center of texas tech university. i just heard of a couple of friends that go to universities that have lap pool kind of deals. it s just cool to tell them about our luxurious river. reporter: with competition for tuition money ramping up, schools now justify the high cost of construction as important for recruiting and keeping students. and at texas tech, the $8.4 million water complex is doing its job. i was like, sweet. a pool. reporter: enrollment this year at an all-time high. i wanted to come here for my major specifically but when i saw they had a lazy river, that definitely moved it up on my top priority list. reporter: even with the average tuition nearing $40,000
water slide. all wrapped within a 64-foot lazy river. but this isn t turks and caicos. it s lubbock, texas. and the two-acre water park is just one section of the student recreation center of texas tech university. i just heard of a couple of friends that go to universities that have lap pool kind of deals. it s just cool to tell them about our luxurious river. reporter: with competition for tuition money ramping up, schools now justify the high cost of construction as important for recruiting and keeping students. and at texas tech, the $8.4 million water complex is doing its job. i was like, sweet. a pool. reporter: enrollment this year at an all-time high. i wanted to come here for my major specifically but when i saw they had a lazy river, that definitely moved it up on my top priority list. reporter: even with the