The university hopes to enroll as many students as possible through its “Howard Forward” plan.
However, the numbers for the average GPA among the accepted students remained relatively the same. Their grades ranged from 3.58 to 3.65, the latter being the average for last year.
The number of students applying to Howard has steadily increased over the years. The HBCU assumed that its high-profile alumni, especially Vice President Kamala Harris, contributed to the rise. Fortunately for interested high schoolers, Howard intends to bring in as many students as possible for the university’s operations. Their current “Howard Forward” plan also includes goals to increase enrollment.
Some may also fear how the strike down on affirmative action will impact their acceptance into the HBCU. However, Assistant Director for Undergraduate Admissions Karina Sanchez is not worried about that.
“It [affirmative action] doesn’t really affect us too much because we are an HBCU, so the majority of our applicants do come from one demographic,” explained Sanchez. “We do get a diverse demographic pool, though, and everyone is weighed equally, so we don’t look at their race or their ethnic background.”
Despite this lingering concern, incoming students told the publication of their reasoning behind attending the school. Many emphasized its history and cultural events like Homecoming influencing their decision.
“Howard feels like the perfect place for me,” shared Josiah Smith, who is in the top 25 of his class at a Louisiana high school. “If I end up going to Howard, I’m excited to be a Bison…experience Howard Homecoming-Yardfest and really just be surrounded by people who look like me and want me to succeed.”
Students have until May 1 to make their decision to become a Howard Bison.
Source: Black Enterprise
