Reports indicate that Howard University has reenrolled 46 incoming freshmen after more than 500 students lost their spots at the historically Black university last week.
Last Friday, Howard confirmed in a statement that it had notified “502 first-time-in-college students whose accounts did not reflect the required enrollment and financial obligations by the previously communicated deadlines.”
According to the university, students who had not completed their enrollment began receiving communications as early as March outlining enrollment requirements, payment expectations and key deadlines through email and orientation sessions.
The issue quickly sparked a firestorm on social media, with several students posting emotional videos after learning they had been unenrolled.
Howard confirmed in an email that the school sent notifications to “502 first-time-in-college students whose accounts did not reflect the required enrollment and financial obligations by the previously communicated deadlines.”
According to a local news report, families traveled to Howard’s campus in Washington, D.C., in an effort to resolve the issue and secure their students’ enrollment for the Fall 2026 semester.
Speaking with WJLA 7News, Howard University Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management Keyana Scales acknowledged that some students had submitted documentation or attempted to meet the university’s enrollment requirements.
“We are in the process of reviewing all of the email messages that we are receiving with care to ensure that we are looking at records, the documentation that students are presenting, and, if required, being able to enroll them or reinstate their classes,” Scales said. “I think that the lesson learned here, to be completely candid, is we need to double down on resources.”
Howard is encouraging families seeking assistance to contact the office best equipped to address their concerns. Questions about enrollment status should be directed to enrollmentmanagement@howard.edu. Financial aid inquiries should be sent to finaid@howard.edu, while questions regarding pending scholarships and student accounts should be directed to BursarHelp@howard.edu.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
