Florida’s first HBCU hits enrollment milestone with largest fall class in two decades
TheGrio...
Edward Waters University enrolled 1,281 students for Fall 2026, nearing its all-time enrollment record.
Edward Waters University, Florida’s first historically Black college and university, has reached its highest fall enrollment in more than 20 years. The Jacksonville institution welcomed 1,281 students for Fall 2026, continuing a period of sustained growth in enrollment, academics and institutional finances.
The achievement comes at a time when American higher education is navigating financial pressures, demographic changes and major shifts in diversity and admissions policies. The university closed Fall 2026 registration with 1,281 students, a 5.4% increase from the previous year and a 37.4% increase from its 932 students in Fall 2019.
According to Afrotech, the growth was particularly pronounced among new and transfer students. EWU enrolled 674 new students, up 15.4% from the previous year, including 287 first-time college students. Transfer enrollment rose 34.8%, with 209 students joining the university. Graduate enrollment also increased, with 119 new graduate students.
The figures are part of a broader institutional turnaround. Since 2019, Edward Waters has increased enrollment by 37% while recording six consecutive years of operating surpluses. Its endowment has also grown at 200% from $2.8 million to $8.6 million. The HBCU says the growth has been deliberate rather than the result of easier market conditions. More than 13,000 prospective students applied for the 2026–27 academic year.
President and CEO Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr. framed the results as evidence that the Florida’s first HBCU’s efforts are translating into measurable performance. For an institution founded in 1866 by and for formerly enslaved people, the enrollment milestone carries significance beyond a single year’s admissions numbers. Edward Waters is now only 39 students short of its all-time enrollment record.