Howard University has reinstated more than 200 of the over 500 incoming first-year students who were unenrolled due to missed tuition and financial-aid deadlines, according to interim university president Wayne A.I. Frederick.
In an interview with ABC News Live on Wednesday, Frederick stated that the university reviewed all 502 students whose enrollment was affected. "Most of the decisions, if not all of them, have been made," he said.
The decision to re-enroll students was based on their ability to provide necessary documentation, such as proof of external scholarships, and their remittance of payment, even if late. Frederick explained that the university's adherence to payment deadlines aims to prevent students from accumulating debt without completing their degrees, citing Howard's graduation rate of under 70% within four years.
"We really are trying to do our best to make sure that when students start, they can finish," Frederick said. "And this is part of what we must do on the front end because I think having them leave without a degree and with debt is not the right thing as well."
Frederick addressed concerns about overenrollment contributing to the decisions, stating that all unenrolled students had housing assignments, indicating it was not a matter of "bed capacity."
However, some students reported a lack of effective communication from the university. Dwayne Irvin, a 19-year-old from Missouri, described being blindsided by the unenrollment email. He said he was advised by the financial aid office to delay enrolling in a payment plan until an outside scholarship was processed, a directive he followed before receiving notice of his unenrollment.
Nikiyah Clark, 17, from Ohio, also expressed distress, recounting that she received notice of the tuition payment deadline on the day it was due. Frederick acknowledged the need to "enhance our communications and really support our students even more," while also asserting that "Over 2,200 students, families did exactly what we expected them to do and followed the policies and procedures and met the deadline." He felt the university's initial communication was "pretty comprehensive."
Frederick indicated that Howard would offer enrollment holds for the following year and deferral or transfer opportunities for the affected students. "We will still make every attempt to keep those students within the Howard family," he stated. The specifics of these new enrollment processes have not yet been publicly detailed.
While some students like Irvin have stated they will not re-enroll, the family of another student, Mason Farmer, reported being told there was no longer space available for him to enroll this fall.