More than 500 incoming Howard University freshmen learned weeks before move-in that the school had canceled their enrollment after it said the students missed a payment deadline this month.
The decision came almost a month before the start of the fall semester, leaving the affected students scrambling to find alternatives or determine whether they could still find a way to re-enroll.
Howard, one of the country’s most prestigious historically Black colleges and universities, said that it dismissed 502 first-year students whose accounts showed that they had not met enrollment and financial requirements by a deadline of July 10.
By that date, the students were supposed to have paid half their remaining balance or enrolled in a payment plan.
“Never in my life have I gotten so far and worked so hard for it to be stripped from me on a random Wednesday,” one affected student, Isabella Williams, said in a TikTok video this week about the enrollment issue.
Her video’s caption said that she was supposed to move in on Saturday.
“I was promised and told by people that what I was doing was OK,” Ms. Williams continued, “that everything was fine and that my scholarships could come through later, and then I’m suddenly unenrolled from my dream school.”
Ms. Williams could not be immediately reached for comment on Saturday.
The number of undergraduate “first time in college” students at Howard last fall was 2,490, according to the school.
The university said it began notifying students in March through emails and orientation sessions about enrollment requirements, payment expectations and key dates.
Howard officials said students also received monthly reminders through July as the deadline approached.
Students who missed tuition or aid deadlines lost their spots in the upcoming semester.
They were informed “that the University can no longer hold their place in the incoming class,” school officials said in a statement on Thursday.
“As Howard finalizes enrollment for the Fall 2026 semester, which begins Aug. 17, confirming enrollment is essential to planning academic programs, housing, financial aid, and student support services,” the statement said.
For many students and their families, the timing left little opportunity to resolve the issue before the start of the academic year.
Some of the affected students told the university that their scholarships or federal financial aid had not finished processing before the deadline, the university statement said.
Some students said they were traveling to Washington next week to try to resolve the enrollment issue in person.
It’s unclear how many of the affected students were awaiting federal financial aid, private scholarships or grants.
“The university is reviewing information related to anticipated scholarship funding and other financial aid, where appropriate, and will consider relevant circumstances presented regarding pending scholarship awards and financial aid resources,” the university said.
