BALTIMORE, Md. — Coppin State University is celebrating a milestone year after welcoming the largest incoming class in the school's history, a surge university leaders say is being driven by one key factor: affordability.
Enrollment at the HBCU is up 47% this year, with 1,500 students arriving from 30 states, Washington, D.C., and 12 countries.
For sophomore sports management major Daryl Crawley, choosing Coppin State was an easy decision.
"It changed my life," Crawley said. "The whole trajectory of how I was going to pursue college. I saw that they had my major, the price was amazing, it wasn't far from home, and also the in-state tuition."
Crawley is one of many students benefiting from Coppin's Expand Eagle Nation initiative, which allows eligible out-of-state students to pay in-state tuition rates.
University President Dr. Anthony Jenkins says affordability remains one of the university's biggest strengths.
"For a full-time student, for one year tuition at Coppin State University is $7,001," Dr. Jenkins said. "That is the lowest in the great state of Maryland."
The university has also reduced room and board costs by 12%, at a time when higher education expenses continue to rise nationwide.
According to the College Board, average tuition costs increased by about 3% during the 2025-26 academic year. So how does Coppin do it?
"Operating lean, but never interrupting the academic enterprise. What are we delivering? What are we giving students more this year than we did last year, and if we're not giving them anything different, then let's not increase fees and costs on those families," Dr. Jenkins said.
The approach appears to be paying off. In addition to record enrollment growth, Coppin is seeing an increase in male student enrollment, bucking a trend facing many colleges and universities across the country.
"This is the perfect storm," Jenkins said. "You have affordability, you have one of the nation's best HBCUs, and you have a student environment that really lends itself to students being successful."
Jenkins acknowledges this model may not work forever, but hopes it inspires other institutions to make higher education more accessible.
"It is not going to happen in perpetuity; it is not a sustainable model. But I still believe there are more individuals out there who value higher education and institutions like Coppin will always be valuable," said Dr. Jenkins.
The university is already looking ahead, investing in future growth with projects such as Thurgood Marshall Hall, a new residence hall that is expected to open to students next semester.
