Coppin State U. to offer in-state tuition to students from states without an HBCU /* 41% of Freshmen are from out of state in 2025

[get these nets]

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Coppin State University to Offer In-State Tuition to New Out-of-State Students from More than 30 States and U.S. Territories​

Aug 23, 2023

BALTIMORE – Coppin State University today announced new full-time undergraduate degree-seeking students admitted to the university from more than 30 states and U.S. territories outside of Maryland, will be eligible to pay in-state tuition upon enrollment. The innovative proposal, which will take effect Fall 2024, was approved by the University System of Maryland Board of Regents during a meeting at Coppin State University earlier this year.

“At a time where more individuals and families are questioning the value and cost of higher education, our goal is to reduce barriers and increase access to the quality education Coppin State University provides, at an affordable price.” explained Anthony L. Jenkins, president of Coppin State University. “Coppin State gives our students a transformative educational experience in an environment that nurtures, challenges, and empowers them, regardless of their racial or socioeconomic background. Although our students graduate with student loan debt below the national average, with this initiative, we are demonstrating the return on investment for degree-seekers, by further reducing the financial cost, and allowing students to enjoy the holistic experience of their college years.”

During the 2022-2023 academic year, 85 percent of students enrolled at Coppin State resided in Maryland, and 15 percent of students resided in another state. Offering in-state tuition for some out-of-state students will allow Coppin State to expand its enrollment footprint, increase its recruitment of out-of-state students, and strengthen relationships in states where students could have interest in attending an HBCU, either as a first-time or transfer student. The newly adopted tuition policy also strengthens retention of students from lower-income families, by allowing grants, scholarship, and other dollars to go further, by reducing overall cost.

Coppin State University, a member institution of the University System of Maryland, is the most affordable four-year college or university in the state, with tuition and fees costing $7,001 per year for full-time undergraduate students taking 12 or more credits. The in-state tuition rate for students will apply once the student is admitted and enrolls at Coppin State. Eligible students will continue to pay the in-state tuition rate while pursuing their undergraduate degree at Coppin State.
The in-state tuition offer does not apply to returning undergraduate students, or students pursuing a graduate or doctoral degree.

Coppin State University serves as a key force in facilitating upward mobility for its students and positive economic impact for the state. The economic impact of Coppin State is supported by its outcomes, with 70 percent of Coppin State graduates opting to stay in Maryland after graduation, and 48 percent choosing to live and work in Baltimore City.

Prospective students living in the following states and U.S. territories are eligible for the in-state tuition incentive: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

Spoiler: asterix

Univ. of the Virgin Islands has campuses in St. Croix and St. Thomas, Charles Drew in Cali is not recognized as an HBCU, and not sure what the technical status is for Pensole Lewis in Detroit, MI

 

[get these nets]

Coppin State Grows Enrollment With In-State Tuition Offers​

Two years ago, the Baltimore university said students in states without HBCUs could attend for in-state prices. This year, it boasted its largest incoming class in over two decades

10/09/25

A historically Black university in Maryland says efforts to boost enrollment and up its name recognition are paying dividends, allowing it to more than quadruple out-of-state student enrollment over the past two years.


Coppin State University in Baltimore announced in 2023 that it would begin offering in-state tuition to any student who lived in one of the 41 U.S. states and territories without an HBCU—as well as the District of Columbia, which has two HBCUs—through a program called Expand Eagle Nation. In 2024, the first year of the program, the institution more than doubled the number of students from qualifying states to 195—up from 81 the previous fall. (Coppin’s in-state annual cost of attendance is $27,410, versus $34,474 for out-of-state students.)


This fall, the numbers increased even more dramatically: 416 of Coppin’s incoming class of 1,000—its largest freshman class in 25 years—come from the qualifying states. Overall, Coppin’s enrollment is up 26 percent this year, including growth on the in-state side, as well. In fact, James Stewart, associate vice president for student development and achievement, said the attention Coppin has received for its Expand Eagle Nation program has raised the university’s profile among local students

Still, it’s been a major shift for the institution, which used to attract students primarily from within a 50-mile radius.


“I think our students enjoy the diversity of thought from so many different regions,” said Jinawa McNeil, the university’s director of admissions. “This is really giving opportunity to students, but it’s [also] making Coppin a different environment, where you traditionally were with students that you might have went to high school with, or maybe a high school not far from you, but now you’re talking to students who are literally from states that you’ve never been to.”


Coppin’s growth comes at a time when many institutions across the country are working to attract new populations of students ahead of the impending demographic cliff—the decline in high school graduates that is expected to begin next year. (The Maryland Higher Education Commission projected earlier this year, however, that Maryland will be one of the few states to buck the trend, projecting an 11 percent increase in high school graduates from 2024 to 2031.)

Bolstering Recruitment​

Along with offering in-state tuition to out-of-state students, Coppin officials took a slew of steps to increase their presence in the states from which they hoped to attract students. That included visiting high schools—and plastering advertisements on buses and billboards in those cities ahead of their visits, so students would hopefully already recognize the Coppin brand by the time they met an admissions official.


The university formed transfer partnerships with community college systems in Colorado and California, and the admissions team reached out to regional organizations that help students in the college search process to ensure their staffs were aware of Coppin.


Increasing the university’s name recognition was an important goal of the Expand Eagle Nation program, McNeil said.


“It [used to be] a much harder recruitment sale, for lack of a better term,” she said. “We were beginning with who were as an institution, rather than saying, ‘Oh, you’ve heard about us, so let’s help you learn more.’”


Stewart also noted that the university was prepared for the enrollment boost, having met with academic affairs staff over the past year to ensure there would be enough courses and faculty to meet the needs of all students. To house the influx, Coppin is currently constructing a new dorm, slated to open next fall; it also has six off-campus apartment facilities that Stewart said include resident assistants, just like on-campus housing, and regular shuttle access to campus.


“We’re going to end up with a good mix where we increase our housing on campus, especially, to meet our new students, but we have options for our [upperclassmen] off campus that give them this blending of what real-life living in an urban environment is,” he said.


One unexpected challenge that has come with implementing Expand Eagle Nation? Convincing prospective students that the offer is real.


“They [don’t] believe it,” McNeil said. “Like, ‘What’s the trick, what’s the catch?’ They just don’t believe an institution was willing to invest that deeply, because students understand, and definitely parents of students, specifically parents that have been to college and might have some college debt. They just did not believe that this was an opportunity, because they don’t see too many opportunities like this.”

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

Nice move by Coppin State and congratulations on the enrollment increase.

 

[Diyhai]

cuz its in one of the worst areas in baltimore
North ave University

 

[Dwayne_Taylor]

cuz its in one of the worst areas in baltimore
North ave University

A lot of HBCUs aren't in bad neighborhoods. As soon as too many young Black folks pop up in one spot, the property values “mysteriously” drop and certain businesses avoid the area.

 

[Bigblackted4]

A lot of HBCUs aren't in bad neighborhoods. As soon as too many young Black folks pop up in one spot, the property values “mysteriously” drop and certain businesses avoid the area.

No, this is just a bad area like Clark Atlanta:”/Morehouse. It legit looks like one of the worst areas in Baltimore. I was shocked. But they have a beautiful basketball arena