July 31, 2026
The HBCU worked with families to reenroll incoming Freshman
Howard University has reinstated more than 200 of the 502 students who were unenrolled ahead of the fall semester after reviewing financial aid and enrollment records, Interim President Wayne A.I. Frederick said July 29, The Associated Press reports.
The historically Black university worked with students and families to resolve outstanding financial and administrative issues.
Frederick told the outlet that the affected students either still owed tuition after financial aid and scholarship awards were applied or had not submitted required immunization records. He said Howard followed its enrollment policies and had communicated payment deadlines to students and families beginning in March.
“There were no issues as far as what we communicated,” Frederick told the AP, adding that students were informed that unpaid tuition balances were due by mid-July before classes began in August.
The unenrollment prompted concern among prospective students and their families, many of whom turned to social media after learning they no longer had a place at the university just weeks before the start of the academic year. Some students and parents also said they struggled to reach university officials by phone or email to resolve questions about tuition, financial aid, and housing.
Frederick acknowledged the university received an overwhelming volume of calls after the unenrollment notices were issued, but said staff members responded to email inquiries and began meeting directly with students and families to review individual cases. Those conversations, along with updated financial aid documentation and other enrollment materials, resulted in students being reinstated.
Howard, one of the nation’s largest and most selective historically Black colleges and universities, received approximately 37,000 applications for the upcoming academic year. About 2,200 first-year students remained enrolled after last week’s unenrollment, according to Frederick.
University officials said they will continue reviewing remaining cases as students submit outstanding financial aid documentation, immunization records, and other required materials before classes begin in August, allowing additional students to regain their enrollment if they satisfy the university’s requirements.
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