Isabella Williams has always dreamed of attending Howard University.
In 1984, her mother enrolled at the historically Black college in Washington but quickly had to drop out due to financial issues. Fast forward 42 years, and now she’s in a similar predicament.
Williams was just four days away from setting out to college from her hometown in Fort Mitchell, Alabama – a nearly 14-hour drive – when she learned she had been dropped from fall semester courses due to an outstanding tuition balance and unenrolled from the university. She told Capital B that she got an email from the university saying she would be refunded for the payments she’d made and that she’d be able to apply as a transfer student next semester.
“Never in my life have I been so disappointed,” she said in a video on Instagram, eyes filled with tears. “Never in my life have I worked so hard for it to be stripped from me.”
Other incoming freshmen flooded social media with the same story: the same email, the same sudden unenrollment. The panic ripped through one of Howard’s largest incoming classes in years. Williams was one of 500 students in the Class of 2030 unenrolled from their courses — just days before some move in on July 25.
Williams said she previously spoke to the financial aid office at the university, which said she should be in good standing, even though scholarships and grants she applied for were going to be applied later in the summer.
Within 48 hours she was reenrolled after speaking with the financial office again and the growing backlash. Still, other students had not been reenrolled.
Incoming freshmen expressed frustration and disappointment with the university for being unenrolled because of outstanding tuition balances for the upcoming semester. Several students have said they were reassured through financial aid that delayed scholarships and grants would still leave them in good standing. However, the university doubled down on unenrolling some students.
For years, the cost of attending historically Black colleges and universities have crippled students, especially around the start of academic semesters. Just a few months ago, several HBCU students took to social media sharing GoFundMe and crowd-sourcing fundraisers to stay enrolled in their respective colleges.
Howard University did not respond to Capital B’s request for comment about how many students were impacted and policies around unpaid balances. But in a statement Thursday, the university said that it “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.”
Williams and other students are being reenrolled in fall courses but the abrupt drops have sparked calls for accountability from Howard and its financial aid offices.
Surprise student balances aren’t a new thing within the Bison community.
“We know that there can be issues with financial aid, but they have never done this two weeks before school started and dropped hundreds of people out of nowhere,” Williams told Capital B.
“The way that Howard University has handled this was extremely disrespectful. We’re supposed to be in truth and in service, and I don’t think that this aligns with either of them.”
Struggling with tuition isn’t unique to Howard.
Several philanthropists and nonprofit organizations have donated to HBCUs, specifically to relieve expenses of attending Black colleges to keep students on track to graduate. In 2016, AT&T donated $26,000 to support Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina through its Gap Assistance Scholarship Program.
At Howard, community members and alumni organizations often “adopt” students experiencing financial hardships by donating and fundraising on their behalf. Last Bison Standing, a nonprofit organization started by Howard alumni, often provides emergency assistance to students who are in good academic standing and show a strong need for assistance.
At UNCF, students can apply for the UNCF Campaign Emergency Student Aid (CESA, now called UNCF Emergency Student Aid), which was founded in 2009. Since then, the nonprofit has awarded more than $30 million to keep students enrolled, according to the nonprofit.
In the meantime, Williams said she hopes to gather students in person to relax after a tense start to the semester.
“I worked really hard because I know that Howard is a prestigious school,” Williams said. “I never did it out of fear. I don’t do anything out of fear.”
