BALTIMORE — It’s an exciting time to be a part of Morgan State University, and enrollment is proving that to be true.
Maryland’s largest Historically Black College and University continues its growth.
For the second year in a row, Morgan State set a new enrollment record.
School leaders are pointing to the various multi-million-dollar improvement projects on campus is one of the reasons.
“It’s like everyone wants to be here right now and it’s great to see,” freshman Fauziyah Isola told WJZ.
This year, the historically Black institution surpassed 9,100, representing a 7.5% increase to the university’s total student count.
School leaders say they are doing everything they can to support the demand.
“We’ve always had a good number from New York, New Jersey, DC, but we’re now seeing more from California, from the Midwest, said Kara Turner, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success at Morgan State.
The record enrollment comes as a new national student clearinghouse report shows undergrad enrollment numbers are continuing to drop by more than one percent.
“We’re delighted to be bucking that trend,” Turner said.
Morgan State officials say this fall’s all-time high enrollment shows they are well on track to reach their goal of 10,000 students enrolled by 2030.
“I think there are a couple of things behind it,” Turner said. “One, just nationally, the kind of context around Black Lives Matter, social justice, students want to be at a place that feels secure.”
Students agree.
“It’s really nice to see people like you, it’s like diverse,” Isola said.
“I went to an all-white school, so coming here allowed me to like meet new people, learn more about my culture,” sophomore Sharif Glover added.
Turner told WJZ that, although there are growing pains with the increased enrollment, it is a good problem to have.
“There are certainly growing pains but we’ve done a great job, I think with working with local apartment complexes and hotels in terms of providing housing,” Turner said.