On Wednesday July 22nd, hundreds of incoming Howard University freshmen received an email from administration stating they were “unenrolled” from their upcoming academic semester due to outstanding balances without payment plans. The email came as a horrific shock to many of its over 500 recipients, all of whom just weeks away from the beginning of their undergraduate careers. In response, students have taken to social media in confusion and frustration, explaining that scholarship money, government aid, or other financial assistance had not yet been processed or considered by the university.
Institutional Leadership
Howard University is a highly ranked, private, historically Black university that–before financial aid–costs over $66,000 per year to attend. In 2025, both Forbes and LinkedIn named Howard the #1 HBCU in the nation. Incredible changemakers like Thurgood Marshall, Kamala Harris, and Toni Morrison have emerged from the university and inspired so many to follow in their footsteps and spend their college years at the academic icon known as The Mecca. In the last five years alone, Howard has received over $500 million in individual, alumni and community donations, much of which is unrestricted in allocation.
While it is essential for students and parents to stay on top of fees and correspondence, it is also essential that a university as impactful as Howard stays true to its legacy; a promise of excellence. An institution that claims to prioritize “civility, respect, and equity” should ensure that each admitted student’s situation is heard, understood, addressed, and accommodated before hastily revoking the experience they have earned and committed to. This is far from the first instance of financial scandal at the university, from misappropriation of funds in 2018 to more recent underhanded price increases. And it seems the people who keep the university afloat–the students–are continuously failed by institutional leadership.
Responsibility
The released response to impacted students from Howard on July 23rd claiming that admin is “reviewing appropriate pending aid” and “considering relevant circumstances” is a wet band-aid over a critical wound. As a university that prides itself in equity, the lack of accountability and compassion exposes the barrier of accessibility that has plagued higher education since its establishment. As a current student at Howard, I have never seen such swiftness from this university when there is an opportunity to support students’ ability to remain on campus, only when there is an opportunity to remove the people who need community and support most. This is a wake-up call. As the political activity in the capital continues to polarize and oppress, Howard’s responsibility is to do the opposite, not follow suit. Students at this university should be succeeding with the administration, not in spite of it.
On-campus organizations and student leadership have taken to social media offering a helping hand to their fellow academics. Howard University Student Association released a post detailing their swift response to this crisis and the solutions they are working to create. The Instagram (@husassociation) post displays a QR code that provides a channel through which students can expedite the consideration of their case and encourages them to continue emailing enrollment admin. Howard University has a responsibility as not only a prestigious university, but as a pillar of education in the black community to support the pursuit of academia for all people. In the name of legacy, history, and community, it is time for Howard to live up to its attendees.
Featured image/photo courtesy of DepositPhotos.
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