By Dantee Ramos
Itâs been a good year for HBCU enrollment. Alabama A&M University is one of the latest HBCUs with record-breaking first-time student enrollment.
On Tuesday, Alabama A&M announced that 7,295 students would attend for the fall semester, an increase of 10.3% and the institutionâs highest enrollment in the second consecutive year. It also marks the second successive year of its largest incoming class, with 2,421 first-time students.
President Daniel K. Wims said, âStudents and parents are choosing Alabama A&M because they see the value, support, and results that comes with the AAMU experience. As we prepare to celebrate 150 years, we will continue to prioritize delivery of a world-class education in an environment that fosters the full development of our students and service to our community.â
According to the news release, Alabama A&M University leads undergraduate enrollment in the state. It welcomed 6,370 undergrad students this semester â an 8.9% increase compared to last year. Graduate programs have also expanded, with enrollment increasing by 20.3%.
âThese numbers are also the product of intentional focus on advisement and persistence of our students as the first-year retention rate increased by six percentage points to 70% after a 5+% increase last year,â Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs John Jones, Ph.D., said.
Alabama A&M joins a growing list of HBCUs to see increased enrollment, including Hampton University, Bethune-Cookman University and Fayetteville State University.