At a time when many colleges are grappling with fewer applicants and growing doubts about the value of a degree, Hampton University is charting a very different path. The institution isn’t contracting — it’s surging. Enrollment is up. Retention is strong. And the university is drawing national attention for doing what many campuses have struggled to accomplish: grow.

Since 2022, the private HBCU has posted a 44% jump in undergraduate enrollment and a 46% increase overall, marking one of the sharpest upward enrollment trends among private HBCUs in the country. Nationally, college enrollment has ticked up just 2–3% in recent years, making Hampton’s double-digit climb especially striking. After years of fluctuations, the university has now reached its highest enrollment in more than a decade, climbing from roughly 3,300 students in 2016 to more than 4,600 in 2025. The most rapid expansion has come in the past three years: total enrollment rose from 3,264 students in 2022 to 4,686 in 2025 — a roughly 44% leap, according to a press release from the university. 

Retention numbers reinforce the story of a university on the rise. Hampton reports a 93% fall-to-spring retention rate, including 96% among first-year students and 94% for continuing students. Its spring-to-fall retention rate stands at 84%, underscoring a campus environment where students feel supported, connected, and motivated to persist. Hampton isn’t just attracting students — it’s keeping them, supporting them, and graduating them.

When President Darrell K.Williams returned to Hampton in 2022, he stepped back onto a campus that shaped his own life decades earlier. A Class of 1983 alumnus with more than 30 years of experience guiding large, complex organizations through change, he saw clearly that the higher-education landscape was shifting — and that Hampton would need to move decisively to stay ahead of that shift.

He brought with him a disciplined leadership style and a simple conviction: “standing still is never a strategy.” In short order, he introduced a mission-aligned, data-driven plan to help the university adjust to a rapidly evolving environment. His administration emphasized precision, purpose, and unity of effort — and the results have been unmistakable.

“Our growth is intentional and directly tied to our strategic plan,” Williams said. “It reflects a university that honors its legacy while embracing the future, one student, one family, one community at a time.”

That vision, outlined in the board-approved Elevating Hampton Excellence strategic plan, has translated into measurable advances across the institution. Academic programs, student support services, campus operations, workforce development partnerships, and community engagement efforts have all been aligned around a shared commitment to access, excellence, and long-term impact. It's clear that Hampton’s resurgence is not accidental; it is coordinated, deliberate, and deeply rooted in strategy.

The Supreme Court’s 2023 decision striking down race-based admissions reshaped recruitment strategies across higher education. For many institutions, the ruling created uncertainty. For Hampton, it became a catalyst — an opportunity to rethink how the university told its story, reached students, and expanded its presence nationwide.