Morgan State University had the highest number of students enroll at its historically Black institution this fall. University officials attribute the campus’ infrastructure redevelopment and branding as main draws to new students.

For the past two years, the university recorded back-to-back historic enrollment figures. Enrollment surpassed 9,101 students this year and 8,469 in 2021 — a 7.5% increase that puts the university ahead of its goal of enrolling 10,000 students by 2030.

Though many might assume that freshman students are the main contributor to the enrollment increase, it’s actually transfer and out-of-state students. Among the new students enrolled at Morgan for the current academic year, 56% are from beyond Maryland’s borders — the largest out-of-state student population in school history, according to officials.

“We’re seeing an increase both in our transfer population, who are coming from community colleges or other four-year institutions, and also an increase in our out-of-state population, which would include both freshman and transfers,“ said Kara Turner, vice president for enrollment management and student success at Morgan.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

“Our feeder states, if you will — the states where we get the most out-of-state students from – are New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and now that we have an admissions officer in the midwest, we’re seeing more students from Chicago and Wisconsin,” Turner added.

Nationally, undergraduates are becoming more attracted to historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, as they become more socially aware and understand how critical the institutions are to the foundation of higher education. But more have become interested in Morgan specifically for the school’s visibility, streamlined application process and increased merit- and need-based financial aid offerings, Turner said.

At the start of the fall semester, Morgan opened the new Thurgood Marshall Residence Hall, a 10-story residential facility that can house up to 670 students. It was the first new residential complex on the university’s campus in more than 30 years. And now, after the recent approval of the university’s board of regents, a second residential hall, a 604-bed facility, will also be constructed. The new housing facility is scheduled to open in 2024.

According to Turner, the reinvestment in infrastructure allows for the university to recruit more students and for the “buildings to operate in a more functional way.” But she said more students are applying because the measures that were taken during the pandemic have remained in place, and the attractiveness of the campus’ glass and stone exterior is an added bonus.

In December 2020, Morgan received $40 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Morgan President David Wilson said the donation was a “transformative gift,” and it is the largest single private donation in Morgan’s history. It is also the second largest gift to any public Maryland university allocated toward redevelopment and the institution’s endowment. And in 2017, the construction of the university’s new administration building occurred after alums Calvin and Tina Tyler donated $5 million as Morgan’s most prominent benefactors prior to Scott. The building has over 20 student support departments.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

“So not only is it a beautiful campus, but we put some things in place during COVID as a result of the challenges that students were facing. Particularly, waiving application fees, accepting unofficial transcripts to move more quickly, and we went test-optional, so we do not require the SAT/ACT any longer, which has also been helpful in allowing students to attend college and know more quickly if they’ve been accepted or not,” Turner said.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, enrollment at four-year colleges and universities was projected to continue its recent slide by declining another 1.6% year-over-year in fall 2022 as the pandemic wanes. But university enrollment officials said Morgan has “cemented successive gains in enrollment in addition to posting a retention rate of 70% or higher for 12 consecutive years.”

“Serving the needs of a growing student population has had a ripple effect on nearly every aspect of a university’s operations. Morgan has been proactive in making considerable capital investments in facilities, including construction of new academic buildings and aggressively addressing deferred maintenance of infrastructure and legacy buildings on campus,” according to a university release.

penelope.blackwell@thebaltimorebanner.com

Penelope Blackwell is a Breaking News reporter with The Banner. Previously, she covered local government in Durham, NC, for The News & Observer. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Morgan State University and her master’s in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. 

More From The Banner