According to the percentile cap created by The UNC System Board of Governors (UNCS) voted in favor of fining the institution.

To avoid overcapacity, The UNC System Board of Governors revised the residency policy years ago to increase the enrollment rate to 35%. NC A&T has the highest percentage in comparison to other schools like Winston-Salem State University, with a cap of 25 percent, and UNCG at 18 percent.

To avoid overcapacity, The UNC System Board of Governors revised the residency policy years ago to increase the enrollment rate to 35%. NC A&T has the highest percentage compared to other schools like Winston-Salem State University, with a cap of 25 percent and UNCG at 18 percent.

In 2021, N.C. A&T had 41 percent of students from out-of-state enrolled this year.

Why the school would be found guilty by the Board as opposed to being supported for its growth is confusing. UNC System Board of Governors member James Holmes expressed, “we have a rule that is in place,” and schools must abide by them.

Holmes told WFMY News there would be an upcoming meeting to discuss out-of-state enrollment cap changes to prevent other schools from being penalized.

Although there are policies in place, Board of Governors member Joel Ford disagrees with the fine.

“Fundamentally speaking, we have campuses and in time, environments that are struggling with enrollment, and here we have one of our HMSI’s (Historically Minority-Serving Institution) that is experiencing historical seasonal growth. Fundamentally, I cannot support a policy that’s going to take $2 million away from a university when in reality they can use every dime they can get to continue that mission,” Ford explained.” Fundamentally speaking, we have campuses and in time, environments that are struggling with enrollment, and here we have one of our HMSI’s (Historically Minority-Serving Institution) that is experiencing historical seasonal growth. Fundamentally, I cannot support a policy that’s going to take $2 million away from a university when in reality they can use every dime they can get to continue that mission,” Ford explained.

“The University has expressed regret over exceeding the cap. We have put oversight enhancements in place to prevent this from happening again,” N.C. A&T spokesperson, Todd Simmons said in a statement.

N.C. A&T alum and former professor Loury Floyd says students come from across the globe, and she enjoys the different cultures on campus and community.

“It’s really diverse. I think it is really rich when I was employed there as a faculty member and administrator. I had an opportunity to work with students from California; we have this great international population, and there are alumni literally worldwide, and many of our alumni are really excited about the growth at North Carolina A&T,” Floyd said.

The UNC System recommends that the $2 million be reallocated to the board’s UNC Need-Based Grant Financial Program.