Howard Unenrolls 502 Freshmen, Reenrolling Some With $30,000 Aid Gaps
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 24
Howard Unenrolls 502 Freshmen, Reenrolling Some With $30,000 Aid Gaps
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 24
Summary
502 incoming Howard freshmen were dropped days before move-in after the university said they missed payment, payment-plan or scholarship-reporting deadlines; some later saw their enrollment restored.
Mid-July deadlines collided with aid timing: external scholarships, veterans benefits and some loans often post after Howard’s cutoff, and several students said they had already notified the school of pending funds.
Students described chaotic communication and limited support, saying notices landed in spam or old high-school accounts and calls to financial-aid or bursar offices went unanswered or disconnected.
Some reinstated students say the fix created a new problem: their financial aid disappeared from university portals, leaving bills as high as $30,000 even after classes reappeared.
The episode revives scrutiny of Howard’s billing and aid systems after last year’s dispute over sudden past-due tuition notices, while the university says it is reviewing affected cases individually before the Aug. 17 semester start.