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VSU plans to open a new dormitory boasting 454 beds in spring 2026.
Virginia State University is seeing its highest enrollment numbers in decades and has launched new graduate programs at a time when many U.S. colleges are experiencing enrollment dips and slashing academic offerings. The historically Black college in Petersburg also has several capital projects in the works to accommodate growing enrollment, including a 110,000-square-foot dormitory, scheduled to open in spring 2026.
Year-to-year enrollment has been climbing since 2022, when VSU saw its highest enrollment numbers in three decades. The student body grew by 350 in 2022, bringing total enrollment to 4,600, an increase of 8% since 2021. This fall, total enrollment is expected to grow to more than 5,000 students.
“Virginia State University is experiencing unprecedented growth because of the intentional student-centered strategies we’ve implemented to recruit and retain scholars who believe in our mission,” says Alexis Brooks-Walter, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management. “Our team has worked diligently to expand access, strengthen partnerships and create a seamless enrollment experience.”
Part of VSU’s mission to reach more students is maintaining tuition costs among the lowest in the state, which allows the university to serve a growing population of first-generation college students, according to a statement from VSU.
A Master of Business Administration program is among VSU’s new academic offerings.
In 2024, VSU began enrolling students in its new Master of Business Administration program, the first offered by a public historically Black university in Virginia. The graduate program aims to address the underrepresentation of Black people in business management and leadership positions. Nationally, less than 10% of students in MBA programs are Black.
“Closing the representation gap in business schools isn’t just a matter of equity; it’s an economic imperative,” says Gabrielle Pina, a VSU spokesperson. “Diverse leadership leads to better decisions, stronger companies and more inclusive innovation. At VSU, we’re not just educating future business professionals; we’re equipping the next generation of Black business leaders to transform our economy.”
In 2024, VSU also became the first historically Black college or university in the U.S. to receive accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education for a Master of Social Work degree specializing in trauma-informed care. The accreditation is retroactive to the program’s start in 2022.
“Offered in both online and face-to-face formats, our MSW program was intentionally designed to prepare a workforce equipped to deliver culturally responsive, trauma-informed care in a wide range of settings — enhancing health equity, building resilience and promoting overall community well-being at local, national and global levels,” Pina says.
VSU’s new academic offerings launched as many universities, particularly in rural areas, cut majors in response to budget woes due to factors such as declining enrollment.
Despite the growth, VSU faces challenges related to low revenues and aging facilities, according to a 2024 state report on the viability of Virginia’s 15 public universities. The report was drafted in response to what demographers are calling “the enrollment cliff.” Declining birth rates in the U.S. are expected to decrease the available pool of Americans turning 18, contributing to further declines in college enrollment in the next decades.
While our tuition cost has lowered our tuition revenue, it has increased access and contributed significantly to upward mobility and a more diverse workforce in the commonwealth.
—VSU President Makola M. Abdullah
VSU’s skyrocketing enrollment is a point in its favor, but the institution “faces difficulty charging enough tuition to fund its operations while still meeting its mission to serve students with high financial needs,” Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission staff members wrote. More than 70% of students at VSU receive Pell grants, a form of federal education assistance given to households with significant financial need.
“We recognize that while our tuition cost has lowered our tuition revenue, it has increased access and contributed significantly to upward mobility and a more diverse workforce in the commonwealth,” VSU President Makola M. Abdullah wrote in response to the report.
“VSU also faces substantial risk related to the relatively poor condition of its facilities and lack of adequate student housing,” the report continues. It is the fourth-oldest public university in the state and has the oldest buildings out of all the state’s public universities.
The Alfred W. Harris Academic Commons features a central fountain dedicated to the vision of VSU’s founder.
The university has housed some students at hotels in Petersburg and in dorms at Richard Bland College due to lack of space. Recently, the state has provided additional capital and operating funds, which VSU anticipates will help. The 110,000-square-foot dorm expected to open in spring 2026 will add 454 beds.
VSU’s new slate of capital projects is part of plans to meet facility needs. Existing buildings on campus are undergoing major renovations, and the university held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June for the newly built Alfred W. Harris Academic Commons. Named after VSU’s founder, a 19th-century Black state legislator, the $120 million, 174,000-square-foot building is home to VSU’s College of Humanities & Science and its College of Education.
The multi-purpose building — a facility that represents the university’s progress — will also house a gymnasium, swimming pool, theatre and exhibition gallery. At the center of the academic commons, a fountain memorializes Harris’ vision of VSU as a “place where all can go and drink from the fountain of knowledge.”
