On Friday, 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.”
Starting in March, the unenrolled students began receiving specific communications about enrollment requirements, payment expectations and deadlines via email and orientation sessions, the school said.
The average annual tuition for undergraduate students living on campus is about $38,000. Housing costs are about $13,600.
“People are devastated,” said Mickens who runs The Scholarship College Mama LLC, which is not affiliated with Howard. “Parents are saying: ‘Can you help us? Howard unenrolled us.’ ”
A’Zariah Miles, who plans to major in biology, chose Howard over other schools that accepted her. Now, she is worried that it is too deep into the summer to enroll elsewhere.
“Everybody’s housing is booked, or I can’t enroll because it’s too late or I missed orientation,” she said. “I’ve been trying to continue to have hope with Howard, but I don’t really have that much time before school starts and I don’t really want to have a gap year.”
“Howard University provided multiple detailed communications throughout March, April, May, June, and July to first-time-in-college students and families on steps needed to secure enrollment for the fall 2026 semester,” the school added. “Students who did not meet the established payment, payment arrangement, or scholarship and other financial aid reporting deadlines have been notified that the University can no longer hold their place in the incoming class.”
The First Lesson is “Follow the Instructions and reply ASAP.”
Being that Howard is like being at Black Harvard., graduate and the World is your Oyster, but if you fail to follow instructions, it’s likely too late for anything but JC now.