Two HBCUs Report Enrollment Increases Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic

Grambling State University reports that there are 5,438 students on campus this fall. This is an increase of 4 percent from a year ago. The main factor in the enrollment increase is a 42 percent increase in the number of students in the first-year class. This marks the sixth consecutive year Grambling State has seen enrollment increases.

The university has a  20.47 percent increase from 2014 to 2020 in overall fall student enrollment,” said Patricia J. Hutcherson, registrar at Grambling State University. The increase is a result of  collaborative recruitment efforts of the admissions and recruitment team, alumni, faculty and staff; changes in board of regents policies regarding minimum admission standard; new academic degree programs and an awesome university leadership team, which embraces student self-service.

Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama experienced a significant increase in new student enrollment for the 2020-21 academic school year, the largest in five years. Enrollment numbers show an increase of 40 percent in the number of Miles College students attending college for the first time.

As a result of the college welcoming its largest freshman class in the last five years, the college experienced a modest increase in overall enrollments, reversing a five-year enrollment decline despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, the college worked to improve the persistence of its returning students by retaining 75 percent of its eligible returning students.

“President Bobbie Knight set ambitious goals for the college, which includes modernizing the way we recruit, retain and graduate students,” said Michael Johnson, vice president of enrollment management. “This accomplishment is the first step in reinventing ourselves and positioning the college to competitively provide an accessible and affordable educational experience for all our students.”

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