Morgan State University has announced historic enrollment figures for a second consecutive year. For more than a decade, the university’s student enrollment has steadily grown, culminating in record-breaking highs of 8,469 in 2021 and 9,101 in 2022.

“This is truly an unparalleled achievement that our entire university community can fully embrace. A component of the first goal in our strategic plan is to increase enrollment and through the collective work of our dedicated staff, we’ve been able to position Morgan as a choice destination attracting students from throughout the Mid-Atlantic, across the U.S. and around the globe,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University in a statement.

“Back-to-back years of record enrollment is a defining moment, reflective of our robust, highly sought-after academic programs and our accomplished faculty, who are readying our graduates to compete on any stage, anywhere in the world. More than 9,100 promising young minds have chosen to experience the magic of a Morgan education and matriculate at the National Treasure!”

University officials point to a significant increase in transfer and out-of-state students. Among the new students enrolled at Morgan for the current academic year, 56% are from beyond Maryland’s borders — the largest out-of-state student population in school history.

“Our admissions and recruitment team has done an amazing job expanding our presence at in-person and virtual recruitment events for the past two admissions cycles (Fall 2021 and Fall 2022) and all the indicators we were seeing, unusually high applications and significantly more admitted students, pointed to the achievement of this record enrollment,” said Kara M. Turner, Ph.D., vice president for enrollment management and student success at Morgan. “Enhanced visibility for Morgan has been key in elevating the University’s brand, which has delivered literally tens of thousands of prospective students to our doorstep. The university’s decision to make standardized testing optional, streamline the application process, and offer increased merit and need-based financial aid has also been attractive to our students.”

This fall, coinciding with this year’s historic enrollment, Morgan opened a new 10-story, 229,797-gross-square-foot, state-of-the-art living and learning residential facility, Thurgood Marshall Residence Hall, the first new residence hall erected on Morgan’s campus in more than 30 years.

After the recent approval of Morgan’s Board of Regents, the university will construct a second new residential hall, a 604-bed facility adjacent to the Thurgood Marshall housing complex and connected to the ground-level 30,000-square-foot dining hall. The new housing facility is scheduled to open in 2024.