Florida Memorial University just logged the largest enrollment in its 147-year history, with 2,556 students enrolled for Fall 2026 — a 100 percent jump over the previous year. The milestone marks a stunning turnaround for South Florida’s only historically Black college or university, but it lands alongside an accreditation probation and a financial-risk ranking that continue to shadow the Miami Gardens campus.
University President William Cullen McCormick Jr. is FMU’s 15th president and its first alumnus to hold the office. No verifiable public record or news report indicates that McCormick gave the cited interview to The Olympian in September 2026.
McCormick also said the growth would strengthen rather than compromise the quality and rigor of FMU’s academic experience, per the same report. Dr. Tymon M. Graham, the university’s vice president for student affairs, said students and families are choosing FMU because they see a pathway to opportunity, excellence and success. Graham attributed the growth to a focused recruitment strategy, stronger community partnerships and a university-wide commitment to student success, according to the outlet’s account, which also linked the surge to renewed stability following public scrutiny and expanded recruitment initiatives.
A Historic Recovery From a Decade of Decline
The scale of the rebound becomes clearer against FMU’s recent enrollment history. Student enrollment at the private four-year HBCU peaked at 1,878 students in 2012 before sliding for a decade to a low of just 915 students in 2021, according to HBCU Buzz. Enrollment then crept back up to roughly 1,100 to 1,300 students between 2022 and 2025, making this fall’s jump to 2,556 students a genuine historic recovery rather than a modest bump…