Precipitous enrollment drop at Saint Augustine’s

Enrollment at Saint Augustine’s University is down by more than 70 percent over last year, WRAL reported.

After a two-week delay caused by storm damage, SAU’s fall semester started Tuesday with about 200 students enrolled, down from 700 last year, according to WRAL. That’s a precipitous drop from more than 1,100 students in fall 2022, according to the latest federal enrollment data. SAU’s enrollment has hovered around 1,100 for much of the last decade.

The enrollment decline comes amid recent leadership turnover, financial challenges and accreditation issues for the private, historically Black university in Raleigh, N.C.

SAU nearly lost accreditation recently due to financial and governance issues but ultimately prevailed in a legal battle. The institution remains accredited but is on probation until its next review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in December.

The Board of Trustees is also under fire. A lawsuit filed by alumni and former trustees has accused board leaders of corruption and self-dealing, which the board has denied. The board also rejected a recent suggestion by local business leaders that Saint Augustine’s consider a merger with crosstown Shaw University, another HBCU, which also faces financial challenges.

SAU announced last month that it had secured an initial credit agreement of $7 million, and up to $30 million altogether, to help the university launch a multiyear strategic plan to regrow.