The Daily Texan staff has added more than 100 students since the fall of 2015, when Texas Student Media began conducting censuses of the staff. The Daily Texan had 193 staff members in the fall of 2015, which grew to 243 staff members in the fall of 2016 and 301 staff members this past fall.

Texas Student Media Director Gerald Johnson attributes the growth to a number of reasons, but he points to an increased focus on fostering a welcoming environment and diversifying content and participant backgrounds. Johnson also sees the increase as a likely response to recent attacks on the news media. And he cites new sections on science and tech as a content diversification initiative.

The Daily Texan staff attracts students from a wide array of colleges and majors, and on the current staff, 46 percent are from outside the Moody College of Communication.