A&T enrollment grew with freshman ACT scores above national average for black students

Back in Fall 2014, Florida A&M and North Carolina A&T both enrolled freshman classes that had ACT scores that were above the national average for black students.

The national average ACT score for African American high school students in 2014 was 17.1. The FAMU freshman class in Fall 2014 had an average of 21. The NCA&T freshman class had an average of 18.71.

For all the students in 2014, the national average was 21.

The FAMU freshman class had a 3.34 average GPA in Fall 2014 and the freshmen at NCA&T had a 3.28 average GPA.

But the biggest difference is that FAMU enrollment fell and cost the university millions in lost tuition and fee dollars.

NCA&T Chancellor Harold Martin led his university to a $4M boost in tuition and fees in Fall 2014 by enrolling 10,725 students that fall.

FAMU had 10,233 students in Fall 2014, which was a loss of 505 from the previous fall. The Florida auditor general said that: “Net student tuition and fees decreased by $9.2 million, or 17.1 percent, as compared to the 2013-2014 fiscal year. This decrease was due primarily to a decline in enrollment.”

NCA&T saw its enrollment go up again in Fall 2015 to a total of 10,852. It is expecting more enrollment growth in Fall 2016.

FAMU’s enrollment in Fall 2015 dropped to 9,920 (down from 10,233 in Fall 2014) under President Elmira Mangum. The decline cost FAMU $9M+ from tuition and fee losses. FAMU expects to lose about another $10.5M due to its projected loss of 920 students in 2016-2017.