Student losses under Mangum could be more than entire population of Fisk, Wiley, or Dillard

FAMU President Elmira Mangum’s poor enrollment management would be enough to put some historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) out of business.

FAMU’s enrollment in Fall 2015 dropped to 9,920 (down from 10,233 in Fall 2014) under Mangum. That loss of 313 students, with the rest of the student losses from that year, cost FAMU $9M+ in tuition and fees. FAMU expects to lose about another $10.5M in tuition and fees due to its projected loss of 920 students in 2016-2017. That is a potential total of 1,233 students.

That type of enrollment decline would shut the doors of a number HBCUs.

These were the Fall 2015 total enrollment numbers for the following HBCUs reported by the National Center for Education Statistics:

Mangum explained in 2014 that an overhaul to the federal financial aid program caused FAMU to lose 2,000 students from 2011 to 2013. But some FAMU trustees aren’t accepting that or tighter admission standards as reasons for the continuing decline in enrollment since 2014. 

HBCUs like North Carolina A&T University and North Carolina Central University have succeeded in reversing their enrollment declines and bringing in freshman classes with 3.0+ GPAs at the same time.