North Carolina Central University has crossed the 10,000-student mark for the first time, adding another major enrollment milestone to a growing list of North Carolina HBCU success stories.
NCCU announced enrollment of 10,124 students for the 2026-27 academic year, up 9.1 percent from 9,281 in fall 2025. The total marks the fourth consecutive year of growth and pushed the university past a 10,000-student goal it originally hoped to reach in 2029.
“Reaching 10,000 students three years ahead of our 2029 target is an incredible achievement for NCCU,” Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon said.
The Durham university also leads all UNC System institutions in percentage enrollment growth this fall.
North Carolina HBCUs are growing together
NCCU is far from alone.
North Carolina A&T estimates its fall enrollment at 15,700 students, including a record 3,214 first-year students and more than 800 transfers. The Greensboro HBCU has now posted 13 consecutive years of enrollment growth.
Winston-Salem State University reached 5,210 students, its highest total enrollment since 2021. WSSU welcomed 1,120 first-time freshmen, while graduate enrollment climbed to 681, the highest level in at least a decade.
Fayetteville State University has also set another all-time record with more than 7,700 students enrolled in 2026. FSU has added more than 1,000 students since 2021 while increasing its retention rate from roughly 63 percent to a school-record 80.7 percent.
That makes the statewide picture difficult to ignore.
Four major public North Carolina HBCUs — North Carolina A&T, NCCU, Fayetteville State and WSSU — are all reporting meaningful growth at the same time.
Fayetteville State adds retention to enrollment story
Fayetteville State’s numbers are especially notable because the growth is being accompanied by stronger student retention.
The university’s incoming freshman class entered with an average 3.45 GPA, the highest in FSU history. More than 2,500 military-affiliated students are also enrolled, another school record.
FSU officials say increased interest in nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, construction project management and other career-focused programs has helped drive enrollment.
North Carolina A&T is seeing similar growth alongside academic strength, with its record freshman class entering with an approximate 3.7 GPA.
At WSSU, first-time freshmen arrived with an average high school GPA of 3.4, the university’s highest reported mark in a decade.
Together, the numbers suggest North Carolina’s HBCUs aren’t simply adding students. They are attracting larger incoming classes, expanding graduate and nontraditional enrollment and, in Fayetteville State’s case, keeping more students enrolled after they arrive.
NCCU crossing 10,000 students is another headline-worthy milestone.
But the bigger story may be unfolding statewide: North Carolina’s public HBCUs are growing at the same time — and several are breaking records while doing it.
