Black Arts and Culture
Hampton Univ. & Other HBCUs Experiencing Surge In Applications
“Hampton University, along with other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), is experiencing a significant surge in student applications. For the 2024-25 academic year, Hampton received over 17,000 applications, a substantial increase from the previous year. This trend highlights the growing interest in HBCUs, driven by their commitment to academic excellence and supportive campus environments.”
#HBCU #HigherEducation #CollegeAdmissions #StudentApplications #HamptonUniversity #HBCUExcellence #EnrollmentSurge #AcademicExcellence #PostPandemicEducation #HBCUNews
By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide
Enrollment officials at Hampton University point to its benchmark reputation to explain why student applications surged to over 17,000 for the 2024-25 academic year, compared to 12,000 applications submitted the previous year.
Hampton’s most recent surge comes on the heels of an unprecedented, two-year, post-pandemic enrollment uptick, one that also occurred at nearby Norfolk State, Virginia State and Virginia Union, according to news reports. Hampton’s current surge in applications and commitments has led the University to waitlist students for the first time in recent history, with almost 2,000 students waitlisted.
Hampton University President Darrell K. Williams said in a recent statement on the school’s website, “This increase in applications is a testament to our reputation as a premier institution for higher education. Our commitment to academic excellence, innovative programs, and an environment conducive to learning continues to attract talented students from across the nation and the world.”
Angela Nixon-Boyd, dean of admission and assistant vice president for enrollment management at Hampton, said in a recent statement, “The substantial rise in applications reflects our ongoing efforts to enhance the University’s profile and provide students with an exceptional educational experience. We look forward to welcoming a new class of students who will contribute to our vibrant campus community.”
Records show that in 2022, Norfolk State also reported an enrollment increase. It enrolled 1,302 new freshman students and acquired 345 more new students through the transfer process. The increase represented a 17 percent total increase in new incoming students over the previous year.
Meanwhile, Virginia State University in Petersburg reported an unprecedented increase for two years in a row starting in the fall-2022.
The fall 2022-23 incoming class was Virginia State’s largest incoming class of new students in more than three decades, the school noted at the time in a press release on its website.
“VSU welcomed more than 1700 new students (first-time freshmen and transfer students). This is an increase of more than 550 new students over this same time last year. The 53 percent increase in first-time students marks the second consecutive year of record enrollment at VSU.”
Dr. Alexis Brooks-Walter, associate vice-provost for enrollment management at Virginia State, said, “The average grade point average of our new students exceeds 3.0. VSU granted more than 300 academic scholarships for incoming students in fall 2022.”
Last year, Virginia Union in Richmond also reported an unprecedented 31 percent surge in undergraduate enrollment compared to the previous academic year. Specifically, more than 1,200 undergraduate and 400 graduate students enrolled at Virginia Union for the academic year 2023-24.
Dr. Hakim J. Lucas, president and CEO of Virginia Union, said in a statement at the time, “Virginia Union has welcomed students for nearly 160 years, and this is one of our strongest years ever. . .This enrollment is a testimony to our faculty who teach students, our alumni who inspire them, and our community that guides students to a lifetime of success.”
Meanwhile, Howard University also reported a 12 percent increase in applications in just one year. Applications increased from 33,000 in 2023 to 37,000 in 2024. The university had to lower its acceptance rate due to the overload of interest, dropping it from 36 percent to “about 30 to 32 percent,” Undergraduate Admissions Officer Andrew Taylor told The Hilltop, Howard’s student newspaper, at the time.
Howard Student Clarisa Kandakai, a prospective English major and political science minor from Prince George’s County, Md. explained why she enrolled at Howard. “After visiting and looking into all of the schools, I just felt like Howard was the one,” she told The Hilltop. “I loved the campus and organizations.”
Other HBCUs are experiencing enrollment upticks including Baltimore’s Morgan State University. It traces its enrollment surge back to 2018. This past fall, Morgan State’s enrollment increased by 27 percent, with 9,808 students attending the school.
Meanwhile, Morgan State enrollment officials aim to enroll 10,000 students by 2030, Khala Granville, Morgan State’s director of undergraduate admission and recruitment, told Higher Ed Dive in a March 19, 2024 interview.
“Among the institutions that have seen enrollment surge is the nation’s largest HBCU, North Carolina A&T State University,” Higher Ed Dive noted. “Its enrollment reached 13,883 students in fall 2023, an increase of nearly 3 percent compared to the previous academic year. Others include Howard University, Delaware State University, North Carolina Central University, Wilberforce University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.”
Unprecedented growth has also occurred at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Its overall enrollment grew 19 percent between the 2021 and 2023 fall terms, reaching 2,840 students. With that increase, it has almost returned to its pre-pandemic enrollment numbers.
