Morgan State University experienced its third straight year of record enrollment, moving it closer to its goal of 10,000 students. Enrollment increased 8% overall over the previous year, spurred by a 4% increase in first-time freshman attending the school.
Morgan has a current enrollment of 9,808 students, which sets a new school record. It also has the largest graduate school enrollment in Morgan history at 1,508 students.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationally saw an increase in undergraduate enrollment of 6.1%, and Morgan beat that trend, coming in with a 9% increase in undergraduate enrollment.
The school bucked the national trend across all higher education with its freshman enrollment, as nationally it declined, but at Morgan it increased by 4%.
More than half of Morgan State University’s freshman 2023 class (51%) comes from out-of-state, hailing from 41 states. This is the largest home state diversity in the school’s history, and the third straight year a majority of new students come from outside of Maryland and Washington, DC.
“The momentum happening at Morgan is undeniable, and across the country, prospective students and their parents are taking notice. From the growth in the unique and future-focused academic degree programs we’re offering to the state-of-the-art new facilities we’re erecting on campus, to the cutting-edge research we’re conducting in our centers and laboratories, there is no shortage of reasons to choose Morgan,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University. “The work that we’ve done over the past decade to advance Morgan as a rising high research university has aided in raising our profile nationally while introducing us to new markets and new students as a highly sought-after option for achieving educational and academic pursuits.”
Increasing enrollment to 10,000 by the year 2030 is part of Wilson’s 10-year strategic plan, and seven years ahead of that deadline the university has nearly achieved that milestone.
“We like what we are seeing in terms of our annual enrollment growth. Morgan has been able to buck the national trends and attract students at historic levels, not only from here in our home state of Maryland but from around the country in areas where we have not traditionally had such a strong presence,” said Kara Turner, Ph.D., senior vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success. “The comprehensive strategy that we’ve implemented over the past five years, and particularly coming out of the pandemic period, is producing positive results. Along with diversifying our approach to how we’re targeting prospective students, we are also being very intentional in eliminating any potential barriers throughout the admissions process, and that has proved to be very appealing to students and their families.”
Morgan State University is a public HBCU, and a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution. It’s the largest HBCU in Maryland, having opened its doors over 150 years ago. It’s mission, according to its website, is to “address the needs and challenges of the modern urban environment through intense community-level study and pioneering solutions.” It is the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
