The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) has at least 20 member schools with increased enrollment for the fall 2025 semester. Additional institutions may report positive growth as reports are finalized. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have experienced growth over the past several years.
“At TMCF, we know that an HBCU education remains one of the most powerful engines of mobility in America,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO of TMCF, said. “More and more students are learning each academic year what we’ve known for a long time.”
One population that isn’t growing on HBCU campuses or in higher education in general is Black men. While it’s not the case in every program, such as the record number of Black male nurses enrolled at Southern University and A&M College, several initiatives at TMCF member schools are designed to reverse that trend.
Morgan State University formed the Presidential Task Force on the State of Black Male Enrollment at Morgan to investigate the underlying causes of declining enrollment and retention for Black men. Howard University is seeking to improve enrollment and retention through the Men of the Mecca Initiative and the Kings of Campus initiative. Bowie State University is home of the Center for Research & Mentoring of Black Male Students & Teachers, which aims to create a pipeline for students in the field of education. TMCF’s Teacher Quality and Retention Program (TQRP) conducts similar work in developing and retaining teachers and offers a specialized track for Black males during its annual Summer Institute. Other programs include the Hampton Man Initiative at Hampton University and Aggie M.E.N. at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.
“Black men are a critical population in higher education and much is being done to enroll and retain them on campus,” Dr. Williams said. “Higher learning is the great equalizer for all, which includes these young men.”
Of TMCF’s 57 publicly supported member institutions, the schools listed below have reported enrollment growth for the fall semester. These increases were either announced by the schools or reported by the media.
- Alabama A&M University
- Alabama A&M University’s official student count for the fall semester is 7,808 – the largest enrollment in the institution’s 150-year history. A new student enrollment of 2,825 helped lead to an overall enrollment increase of 7.03%.
- Bishop State Community College
- Bishop State Community College is celebrating its highest enrollment in two decades, with 4,505 students enrolled for Fall 2025 as of September 29, 2025. This represents a 12.6% increase over last year’s enrollment of 4,001 students and continues the college’s remarkable three consecutive years of double-digit growth that began in Fall 2022.
- Bluefield State University
- Bluefield State University announced that its fall 2025 enrollment has reached the highest level in 10 years, continuing a trend of steady growth since the COVID-19 pandemic. This fall, overall enrollment stands at 1,442 students, reflecting a nearly 10% increase compared to last year. The surge is especially pronounced among new students.
- Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
- This fall, 851 students call Cheyney University home, the largest enrollment in more than a decade. This represents a 38% increase since fall 2020, making Cheyney one of the fastest growing public HBCUs in the nation.
- Chicago State University
- Enrollment at Chicago State University CSU saw strong growth with surges in the numbers of new freshman, transfers and graduate students, along with increased reenrollment for continuing students. The university saw a 12% jump in overall enrollment.
- Coppin State University
- Eagle Nation welcomed over 1,000 new undergraduate students this fall, marking the largest incoming class in over a quarter-century. Coppin State’s approach to enrollment growth was featured in Inside Higher Ed.
- Delaware State University
- More than 1,600 new freshman and transfer students have joined the Hornet family as fall 2025 classes begin. The University has broken new student enrollment records in four of the last five years and is once again poised to reach another all-time high.
- Elizabeth City State University
- Elizabeth City State University is trending upward, recording its largest enrollment in more than a decade. This fall, 2,359 students are enrolled at ECSU—a 4.5% increase over last year’s 2,258 students—making 2025 the ninth consecutive year of growth since 2016.
- Gadsden State Community College
- Gadsden State Community College achieved a major milestone this fall with total enrollment reaching 5,568 students — the college’s highest headcount since 2013. The milestone is a result of Gadsden State’s commitment to student success, innovative programs, and strategic recruitment and retention efforts.
- Fayetteville State University
- For the fourth consecutive year, FSU set an all-time high enrollment of 7,628 students, exceeding last year’s record of 7,100 by more than 500 students. FSU again posted one of its strongest student retention rates in history, at 78% – an astounding 15% gain since 2021.
- Hampton University
- Hampton University opened the 2025–2026 academic year with record-breaking enrollment. Over the past three years, the institution has seen a 30% increase in enrollment. 2025-2026 marks the largest incoming class in the University’s history.
- Hinds Community College at Utica
- Preliminary data shows fall enrollment has rebounded after several years of stagnant numbers during the pandemic. The number of students is up about 11 percent over fall of 2024, from 7,505 to 8,412 students, great news for the college.
- Jackson State University
- Jackson State University enrolled 6,464 students for fall 2025, up 2.2% from 6,326 in fall 2024, according to data from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL).
- Lincoln University of Missouri
- For fall 2025, total enrollment increased by 9.83% to 2,256 students, reflecting Lincoln’s ongoing growth in both undergraduate and graduate programs. New students now represent approximately 42% of total enrollment.
- North Carolina Agricultural &Technical State University
- The total enrollment of 15,275 – nearly 1,000 more students than last fall when enrollment was 14,311, making this the university’s biggest single year of growth – represents a jump of 6.7%.
- North Carolina Central University
- For the first time in its 115-year history, North Carolina Central University has passed the 9,000-student mark, delivering the university’s largest enrollment and continuing a trend of record growth. For Fall 2025, NCCU welcomed 9,160 students, a 6.8% increase from the 8,579 students enrolled in Fall 2024.
- Mississippi Valley State University
- Mississippi Valley State University reported a 3.2% increase in student enrollment for fall 2025, according to data released by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). MVSU’s total enrollment rose from 2,205 students in fall 2024 to 2,276 students in fall 2025.
- Morgan State University
- For the fifth consecutive year, the University has set a new all-time enrollment record—this time welcoming 11,559 students for the 2025–26 academic year, as officially reported to the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
- Prairie View A&M University
- Enrollment continues to climb, reaching 10,085 students this fall. That steady growth builds on gains from 9,821 students in 2024 and 9,415 in 2023.
- Winston-Salem State University
- Winston-Salem State University is celebrating its highest enrollment growth in years with 4,962 students enrolled this fall. The increase represents a 4.7 percent jump from the previous year, fueled by new technology, innovative outreach programs and marketing, and a renewed focus on student engagement.
