Alabama A&M University enrolled nearly 2,000 more students this fall than five years ago, marking a record high for a third consecutive year.
“This growth is not by chance,” President Daniel Wims said in a statement this week.
“It’s the outcome of a deep commitment to student success. We’ve invested in academic programs that meet workforce needs, in the physical transformation of our campus, and in the experiences that make Alabama A&M a place where students want to be. As we celebrate our 150th year, we are showing the world what it means to start here and go anywhere.”
In 2021, Alabama A&M’s enrollment was 5,969. For fall 2025, the HBCU’s enrollment was 7,808, the largest in its history.
But in recent years, there have been reports of increased enrollment straining housing availability.
The school adopted a system of putting upperclass enrollees off campus, prioritizing on-campus housing for first-year students, students told AL.comWednesday. Those who stay off-campus can take advantage of shuttle buses if they lack a personal vehicle, they said.
The school did not respond to requests for comment.
Von Xavier rents his own space off campus, but he said the increased population affects him in other ways.
“I’ll be late to class trying to find parking, even if I show up 10 minutes early,” he said. “And the dining hall can be extraordinarily packed at times. I’ll spend like an hour in line waiting to get food or something like that. But besides that, it’s been overall fine.”
Although he did not experience any accommodation problem, some of his friends were affected.
“They had a lot of trouble getting on campus housing, especially freshmen coming in,” he said. ”They were just like, ‘Oh, no, this dorm is full.’ And realistically, what are they supposed to do?”
Nearly 3,000 new students enrolled this fall, representing a 7.03% increase in total enrollment compared with last year, the school’s statement said.
The institution has become a place where students come for the culture, academic rigor, and transformative experience, according to the school.
While praising the school’s efforts to address accommodation issues, Trinity Tailor, a freshman, said having upper-class students mostly staying off campus lessens the experience.
“Really, the only thing that I really feel like is negatively impacted by it is that the campus life is a little bit different,” she said. “When you go to college, you want to see the upperclassmen and you just want to interact and make a whole bunch of friends. But really, it’s kind of like high school again, like you’re only really friends with the people in your grade.
“You will rarely run into an upperclassmen. And it’s not like that’s necessarily a necessity, but it’s just like the spirit, the college life and energy just isn’t completely there because they’re not here all the time. When they come here, it’s really only for classes and to leave again. Yeah, I’d say that’s pretty much it. Really, that’s been bad.”
She is already considering how being moved off campus will affect her.
“Especially for those who don’t have cars or anything yet,” she said. “They say that there’s shuttles that go around, but in all honesty, sometimes they leave too early. So, it’s not as great. But other than that, I have no issues.”
The school said it has been focused on student experience and has worked to expand scholarships and housing options.
“The continued enrollment growth is a stamp of approval from students and parents on all the work happening to advance the student experience at AAMU and is also a direct reflection of the dedication, strategy, and hard work of our enrollment management team,” said Braque Talley, student affairs vice president.
Talley mentioned a “new state-of-the-art facility” under construction and the renovation of two residential halls.
Davon Young, a senior, has seen the accommodation issue improve, including the placement of upperclassmen off the campus as the school grappled with increased enrollment.
“We’ve had a record-breaking amount of freshmen coming in the past two years,” he said. ”So they’ve been just trying to make sure that they have housing, which is understandable because we really can stay off campus, which is why they implemented a few more feeder apartments.”
He said staying off campus means you are not staying “where everything is.” And “everything,” according to him, includes the campus store, Chick-fil-A, Subway, The Wellness Center, The Welcome Center, and the library.
“So I would say it’s a little harder off campus,” he said.
