In the News: Baltimore Banner Spotlights Coppin State's Affordability Strategy
Photo Credit: Ulysses Muñoz/The Banner
BALTIMORE – In a July 26 feature, The Baltimore Banner examined how Coppin State, under the leadership of President Anthony L. Jenkins, chose to lower costs rather than raise them. The university launched the first-of-its-kind Expand Eagle Nation program, which offers in-state tuition to students from more than 30 states without a public historically Black college or university.
The results speak for themselves. As the Banner reports, applications have surged from 2,519 in 2021 to 18,381 in 2025. Enrollment has grown for four consecutive years, and Coppin recorded 26.6 percent growth last year, making it the fastest-growing university in Greater Baltimore. First-year retention now stands at 71 percent, the highest mark in the university's 126-year history.
The article also highlights the intentional student-success infrastructure behind those numbers: expanded peer mentoring, embedded tutors, financial wellness courses, credit-milestone audits, and the academic support hub in the Eagle Achievement Center. It also notes new transfer partnerships with community college systems in California and Colorado, with more states on the way.
At $7,524 per year for in-state students, Coppin State remains the most affordable public four-year university in Maryland. As the article makes clear, affordability and excellence are not competing values at Coppin. They are the same promise.
Read the full story at The Baltimore Banner: Coppin State University is betting big on affordability. Will it pay off? - The Banner (subscription may be required)
