HBCU Hampton University Reports 46% Overall Increase In Student Enrollment, Outpacing National Average – AfroTech
Hampton University has strengthened its commitment to student success, and it is seeing record enrollment.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Black student enrollment at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and other predominantly white institutions has declined following the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision banning race-conscious college admissions. However, Hampton University, a Carnegie R2-designated research institution, is charting a different course.
The university evaluates applicants on technical acumen, leadership potential, and community engagement. It also leverages predictive analytics and personalized engagement strategies, including partnerships with high schools and community colleges, as well as site visits for students and their families.
“We’ve never needed policy to define our purpose,” said Dr. Barbara Inman, vice president for student success and enrollment management, according to a news release.
“Our approach has always been to find promise and surround it with support. What’s different now is the precision; we’re using data, relationships, and humanity in equal measure,” she continued.
Over the last three years enrollment at Hampton University rose from 3,264 to 4,686. Male enrollment, in particular, has climbed from 28% to 33% during the same period, thanks to the Hampton Male Initiative, which emphasizes mentorship, leadership development, and professional readiness. Additionally, the HBCU is seeing record-breaking growth with a 44% increase in undergraduate enrollment and a 46% overall increase, one of the highest among private HBCUs in the country, notes the release.
Retention rates for both freshman and returning students have also remained strong.
“Our growth is intentional and directly tied to our strategic plan,” said Darrell K. Williams, a Hampton University alum who took on the role of its president in 2022, in the news release. “It reflects a university that honors its legacy while embracing the future, one student, one family, one community at a time.”
Angela Boyd, assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission commented:
“This is not a spike; it’s a sustained trajectory. We’ve built a recruitment ecosystem where admissions, student success, and alumni engagement operate in sync, and students and their parents can feel that cohesion the moment they arrive.”
