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New York and Washington, D.C., colleges are offering late admissions to students who were abruptly unenrolled by Howard University after missed payment and aid deadlines, as the fallout from the decision spreads across higher education.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said affected New York residents can pursue guaranteed admission at participating SUNY and CUNY campuses for the fall 2026 semester, while students from outside the state will receive expedited late admissions review where space is available.
The SUNY campuses identified so far include Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Buffalo State University, Stony Brook, New Paltz and Oneonta. New York is also offering an $800 credit to help cover nonrefundable enrollment deposits paid to Howard, according to the Associated Press.
Howard told more than 500 incoming first-year students that their spots were no longer being held after the university determined they had not met payment, payment-plan or financial-aid requirements by its deadlines.
The school has said it repeatedly contacted students and families between March and July about those deadlines and that it would refund payments and scholarship dollars already sent, though tuition and housing deposits are nonrefundable, ABC News reported.
The announcement triggered complaints from students and parents who said they believed their aid was still being processed.
The University of the District of Columbia has also extended its enrollment deadline to Aug. 7 for students affected by Howard’s action, according to reporting cited by Inside Higher Ed.
Howard has started reinstating some students after appeals, with 46 returned to enrollment as of the latest report, and more cases still under review.
Howard Interim President Wayne Frederick said in a CNN interview that removing students after missed deadlines is not unusual, but he acknowledged the university had not enforced those deadlines this strictly in the past.
