“We are the District’s university,” Hasanna Tyus, vice president of enrollment services at the University of the District of Columbia stated in a social media post on X.
“So we want to make sure that any student that has an interest in studying in the district, wants to receive a high quality education at an HBCU at a fraction of the cost compared to other universities in the area have an opportunity to do so,” said Tyus, a former student financial services administrator at Howard, where the average annual cost is about $50,000. “So we welcome students to become Firebirds.”
UDC specifically extended its application deadline to Aug. 7 and in doing so used marketing materials that seemed designed specifically to appeal to Howard’s largest demographic: Black women, who comprise 71.7% of the student body.
UDC is one of the more visible examples of schools to step up and open their doors to students turned away from Howard due to missed payments, confusing miscommunications, scholarship funds that couldn’t be accessed in time and other snafus. But UDC is not the only institution to mention affordability in doing so.
“There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and we want to empower all students with access to the affordable, excellent public higher education they deserve,” State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. said in a statement.
He made the remarks in a joint statement with Governor Kathy Hochul, who directed the State University of New York, or SUNY, and the City University of New York, or CUNY, to “work to ensure that every impacted New York resident student will have the opportunity to seek admission to participating SUNY or CUNY institutions for the Fall 2026 semester.”
Hochu also promised expedited late admissions review at participating campuses that have the capacity to do so. ABC News reports that participating campuses will provide affected students with an $800 credit to cover unrefunded deposits they paid to Howard.
Howard University officials said in a statement that the university continues to conduct case-by-case reviews of students who were unenrolled, and that a “considerable number” of students were re-enrolled after meeting payment and documentation requirements.
“For students whose enrollment is not reinstated, Howard remains committed to supporting their educational journey by exploring opportunities for deferred enrollment in a future term,” the university stated. The university added that it was conducting a “comprehensive review” of its enrollment processes to better serve students and families.
