Coppin State's Tuition Program Led to Enrollment Boom

"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."

"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."

""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 State launched Expand Eagle Nation to offer in-state tuition to students from the 41 states and territories without an HBCU and the District of Columbia. The initiative more than doubled qualifying-state enrollment to 195 in 2024 and then increased to 416 this fall, contributing to a 26 percent overall enrollment rise and the largest freshman class in 25 years. Coppin's in-state annual cost of attendance is $27,410 versus $34,474 for out-of-state students. The recruitment shift expanded the university's traditional 50-mile recruitment radius and introduced greater regional diversity and local visibility.

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