North Carolina A&T Sets New Record As The First HBCU To Enroll Over 15,000 Students
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North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University kicked off its fall semester on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, making history as the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to enroll over 15,000 students.
Driven by strong growth across all enrollment types — including in-state and out-of-state first-year students, transfer students, and doctoral candidates — A&T reached a record 15,275 students, a 6.7% increase from last fall’s 14,311, according to a news release from the university.
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This academic year marks the university’s largest single-year enrollment jump and continues to solidify its status as the nation’s largest public HBCU for the 12th consecutive year — and the largest HBCU ever for the fourth year in a row.
“This is our 12th consecutive year of growth, and we continue to be humbled and grateful for the faith that our students place in us to prepare them for lives of meaning and success,” Chancellor James R. Martin II said in a statement.
“North Carolina A&T is setting a national standard as a land-grant HBCU and model for what it means to be a public university in this new millennium.”
The university’s census report found that A&T enrolled 849 more North Carolina students than last year — a 9.3% increase. For the first time in school history, graduate enrollment has surpassed 2,000 students, with 2,018 enrolled — a rise of 11.2%. Doctoral enrollment increased by 23.4% to 702 students, while transfer student enrollment rose by 17%, reaching 814 new students.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, North Carolina A&T consistently ranks among the top 10 HBCUs. It’s reputation largely centers on its strong engineering, agriculture, and business programs, making it a leading institution for STEM education.
This semester, the university also marked a historic milestone by offering a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence. It is the only AI degree program offered at an HBCU. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the university plans to launch the program this fall with both in-person and online options. The degree features concentrations in advanced AI systems, offered through the College of Engineering, and applied AI, available through the College of Science and Technology.
Founded in Greensboro in 1890, North Carolina A&T boasts high job placement rates. 83.7% of graduates are employed by graduation and 95.3% are employed within three months of graduation, per U.S News & World Report. Notable alums include civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, CEO and Founder of ActOne Janice Bryant-Howroyd, and NASA astronaut Dr. Ronald McNair.
“The 2025-26 student body reaffirms our commitment to the people of North Carolina, our national appeal and impact as an exponential, doctoral research HBCU and the promise that North Carolina A&T holds for students around the world,” Chancellor Martin noted in the press release.
“We embrace the opportunity to prepare them for a world undergoing seismic knowledge and technology shifts and to guide their development as individuals, ready for lives of achievement and meaning,” he continued.
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