By Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins
I believe the continuing decline of male enrollment in higher education is one of the greatest crises of this century. Their declining absence from higher education has significant political, innovative, medical, social equality and civil rights implications. The correlation is undeniable: a decline in Black and Brown male enrollment in college results in a continual decline of Black and Brown teachers, scientists, doctors, judges, military officers and more. This is the growing danger when Black and Brown males buy into the false narrative that college is not a viable option.
Male student enrollment at four-year institutions has declined to an all-time low for men of all races. Several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the nation have experienced a significant decline in male enrollment, with some seeing a drop of double digits. According to the American Institute of Boys and Men (AIBM), male enrollment at HBCUs has declined by 25 percent over the past 15 years. This surpasses the 22 percent decline throughout all higher education institutions nationally.
While the reasons are numerous and complex, data indicate that several key factors driving enrollment decline include financial demands, academic readiness, shifting cultural and societal attitudes toward college, family obligations and generational status. The decline is especially severe for Black and Hispanic men. This descriptive analysis underscores the need for further research to understand the key factors driving the decline in male higher education attainment and to identify effective strategies for reversing this trend.
The discussion of male enrollment in higher education cannot be separated from the long-standing debate about the purpose of higher education in the Black community. At the turn of the 20th century, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois offered two competing opinions. Washington emphasized vocational training, industrial education and self-reliance as pathways to racial progress. Du Bois, on the other hand, argued for the importance of liberal arts education, leadership cultivation and the development of what he called the “Talented Tenth,” a group of educated Black leaders who would guide the community forward. Workforce readiness and intellectual development remain relevant today as HBCUs consider how best to recruit, retain and support male students. At Coppin State University, we draw from both traditions, offering practical skills and career pathways while also investing in critical thinking, scholarship and leadership development. We do not see these as competing interests, but rather as viable pathways to upward economic mobility.
When I arrived at Coppin State University in May 2020, we began laying a framework to reverse nearly two decades of the male enrollment decline which was exacerbated by the pandemic. In fall 2020, I assembled a team to assess our enrollment data. We began constructing the foundation to not only increase our overall enrollment but also to attract and enroll more male students. As a result of these strategic efforts, between 2021 and 2025, not only have we grown our overall enrollment by 33 percent, but we have also increased our male student enrollment by more than 54 percent.
To ensure a balanced approach to our work, we also developed our Eagle Achievement Center (EAC), a comprehensive student development unit designed to support our recruitment efforts and strengthen our retention strategies. From 2022 to 2023, the national average retention rate for male college students was approximately 67 percent; during the same period, Coppin State University’s male retention rate was 77 percent, exceeding Maryland and national trends.
Addressing the decline in male enrollment across higher education is a paramount issue that, I believe, warrants greater national discussion and concern. Coppin State University, is the only Maryland HBCU to increase its male enrollment every year since 2021, and although we have not “cracked the code” regarding male student enrollment, we feel confident that we have identified strategies that position us to rewrite the false narrative that Black males are not interested in college or that athletics is the only way to increase male student enrollment. More male students are selecting Coppin State University, Baltimore’s hometown university, as their college of choice because we appeal to and celebrate their intellect, creativity and scholarship. We stopped telling male students what they needed and started listening to what they wanted. The needs of male students have changed, and institutions, especially HBCUs, must do the same.