DSU sets enrollment record as nationwide numbers fall. What's working for the Dover HBCU?

While overall college enrollment in the United States is dropping, Delaware State University has set an enrollment record, topping 6,000 students for the first time in its 131-year history.

Enrollment of 6,268 for the fall 2022 semester is a jump of nearly 11% from last year's previous record of 5,649 and an increase of 33% since 2017, said DSU director of news services Carlos Holmes.

This semester’s first-year class totals more than 1,400, also a record.

Meanwhile, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported that undergraduate enrollment in the U.S. fell by 4.7%, with 662,000 fewer students in the spring 2022 semester than in 2021. Graduate and professional student enrollment dropped by 1% from last year.

Online classes, graduate programs, scholarships spur growth

University president Tony Allen said one of the goals in the DSU strategic plan is to reach 10,000 students by the end of the decade.

“The best signal of success for any higher education institution is this: more students wanting to enroll, wanting to join our family, wanting to make their mark in a smaller, more interconnected global community,” Allen said in a press release. “Regardless of what you look like, where you come from, or your financial means, we want a student profile that looks more and more like the country we need to be: inclusive, contemporary, and built for generations to come.”

He credits the success to a university-wide commitment to access and opportunity, including a stronger emphasis on online and graduate programs, enhancements to the state-funded Inspire Scholarship Program and expansion of its Early College School.

Online enrollment soared by 56.8% compared to last year, while graduate enrollment rose by 5.7%.

The state-funded Inspire Scholarship provides a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to Delaware high school graduates with at least a 2.75 grade-point average and a commitment to public service. Of the nearly 700 first-year in-state students at DSU, 67% are Inspire scholars.

More:How 2 DSU students will honor the legacy of the late Wilmington educator Terrance Newton

Early College School, a university-sponsored charter school, has also proven to be a key driver of DSU enrollment. Of the students attending Early College School in the last five years, 67% chose to attend DSU. 

This fall, seventh and eighth grades were added to what was previously a school for ninth to 12th grades, bringing total enrollment to nearly 600 students who can earn up to 60 college credits by the time they graduate high school.

Early College School alumnus Zachary Bernard, now a senior at DSU, said, “Knowing that every step I take forward is literally making history in my bloodline has pushed me to take advantage of every opportunity at Delaware State University.”

Bernard introduced President Joe Biden who spoke at DSU on Oct. 21.

“There is no better example of a university that has changed so many lives,” Biden said.

DSU moves up in national rankings

According to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings for Historical Black Colleges and Universities, DSU rose to #8 overall and to #2 for public HBCUs.

A leader who was instrumental in this success was Dr. Harry L. Williams, president emeritus of Delaware State University, now the president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Williams brokered the Inspire Scholarship and established the Early College School during his tenure at DSU.

“The university has been strategic in growing in a fashion that has markedly increased the university’s footprint and profile in Delaware and across the country,” said Williams. “Delaware State’s future is extremely bright, and the university continues to be a smart investment for corporate, philanthropic, and government partners at the federal, state and local levels.”

More:Delaware State University rises to No. 2 among public HBCUs in new college rankings

Tony Boyle, senior vice president of strategic enrollment management and student affairs, helped lead the development of DSU’s growth plan.

“Today is a total team effort throughout every corner of the university and is reflective of a total embrace of the strategic plan,” Boyle said, but added, “We all know we have more work to do.”

DSU campuses expand in Dover, Wilmington

Also factoring into DSU’s enrollment growth is the acquisition of Wesley College in Dover which closed in 2021. Delaware State University now owns the former Wesley campus which is named DSU Downtown, the site of DSU’s Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences.

More:Delaware State University signs agreement to acquire Wesley College

In a Delaware Online story from October 2019, before Wesley College closed, its enrollment was estimated at 1,200 students, according to Robert E. Clark II, who was Wesley’s president.

Some Wesley students transferred to DSU, with 213 former Wesley students attending DSU this semester and 158 graduating last year.

Most recently, Delaware State University opened a Wilmington location this fall in the building donated by Capital One at 1 S. Orange St., as the headquarters for the university's school for graduate, adult and continuing education. The building also houses three more programs: a partnership with the Teen Warehouse, the university’s workforce development center and an incubation hub for small businesses with a focus on companies owned by minorities and women.

Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware State University enrollment tops 6,200 students, a record