Benedict College Class of 2029 is breaking barriers. While the nation sees declining male enrollment, Benedict shines with 54% men in the incoming class. Freshman ladies proudly form the ‘2’ and the men stand tall as the ‘9’ in their class photo.
COLUMBIA, SC – September 22, 2025, Benedict College proudly announces a record-breaking enrollment for the Fall 2025 semester, welcoming nearly 670 new students, the College’s highest new student enrollment in seven years.
This remarkable growth includes a 13% increase in new undergraduate students and a 10% rise in first-time, first-year students, with new Tigers joining the College directly from high school or through early college partnerships.
“This is more than an enrollment milestone,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. “It is a reaffirmation of our mission to produce academically prepared, civically engaged graduates. We are proud to welcome these future leaders to a community that nurtures their full potential.”
Benedict’s Fall 2025 class showcases impressive geographic and demographic diversity, with students representing 34 U.S. states and five countries: The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and Kenya. Notably, 62.5% of the incoming class hails from over 35 different counties in South Carolina, underscoring the College’s expansive in-state reach, while also expanding its national and international footprint.
In a year when colleges and universities across the country continue to report declines in male college enrollment, Benedict College is proud to announce that approximately 54% of the Fall 2025 incoming class is male, defying national trends and affirming the College’s commitment to supporting the academic and professional aspirations of young men of color.
“This year’s record new student enrollment reflects not just growth in numbers, but in our impact,” said Yohannis Job, Vice President for Enrollment Management. “To achieve our largest new student class in seven years, and to do so while increasing male enrollment and expanding our in-state reach, is a powerful validation of our collective work. It speaks to the trust families are placing in us, and the transformational experience we offer at Benedict College.”
As a leading HBCU, Benedict College continues to build on its legacy by offering transformative educational experiences across more than 26 undergraduate and graduate programs in a student-centered learning environment.
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About Benedict College (www.benedict.edu)
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution offering 29 competitive baccalaureate degree programs and two master’s degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from several counties in South Carolina, states across America, and countries around the world. The College also has a diverse faculty deeply engaged in teaching, research, and service.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. Benedict College is the recipient of the 2024 UNCF Institutional Excellence Award given by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building Program in celebration of an HBCU that achieved next-level performance. Benedict was also named HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest and was listed among the top half of ranked HBCUs in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges by US News and World Report.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering, Studio Art, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.