“The momentum happening at Morgan is undeniable, and across the country, prospective students and their parents are taking notice,” Morgan State President David Wilson said in a press release.

“The work that we’ve done over the past decade to advance Morgan as a rising high research university has aided in raising our profile nationally while introducing us to new markets and new students as a highly sought-after option for achieving educational and academic pursuits,” President Wilson added.

Over half the class of 2023 is from states outside of Maryland and the District of Columbia. Students hail from 41 states across the country, attesting to the reach that Morgan State has nationwide.

President Wilson noted that newly introduced programs may have participated in this growth.

“From the growth in the unique and future-focused academic degree programs we’re offering to the state-of-the-art new facilities we’re erecting on campus, to the cutting-edge research we’re conducting in our centers and laboratories, there is no shortage of reasons to choose Morgan,” he said.

The university recently added advanced degree options such as graduate programs in Data Analytics and Visualization, Advanced Computing, Secure Embedded Systems Engineering, Architecture, Urbanism and Built Environments, as well as a Doctor of Social Work.

The increase in enrollment rates at Morgan State is part of a wider trend at colleges, and more specifically, HBCUs. College enrollment has grown for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicates. HBCUs outpaced overall undergraduate enrollment by seeing a growth of over 6%. Not only that, students of color accounted for most of the increase in both undergraduate and graduate programs.