Some Public Black Colleges See Surge in Enrollments

In this down economy many small, private historically black colleges and universities are having difficulty maintaining enrollment levels. This puts severe strain on the budgets of these institutions.

But many state-operated HBCUs have seen a surge in enrollments. Lower tuition at these state-operated educational institutions is undoubtedly the primary factor.

For example, at North Carolina Central University in Durham, new freshman admissions are up 61 percent from a year ago. To accommodate the huge surge in enrollments, 300 junior and senior students are being housed at the Millennium Hotel in downtown Durham. They will take up one half of the hotel’s total capacity. Eight resident assistants, employed by the university, will reside at the hotel. Free shuttle buses will be provided between the hotel and the NCCU campus.

At Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, 3,300 students applied for dormitory space on campus. The university has room for fewer than 2,500 students.

Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, has enrolled the largest freshman class in its history. Due to the record enrollment, Central State has been forced to house at least 100 students at nearby Wilberforce University.

Copyright © 2009. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.