Why Langston University Is Trending Today: Enrollment Surge, New Scholarships & Historic Achievements

Langston University, Oklahoma’s only public historically Black college, is poised for a transformational year after securing a coveted 2025 Carnegie “Research College and University” designation—the first such honor in the school’s 127-year history. University officials say the new classification opens doors to larger federal grants, faculty recruitment opportunities, and high-impact partnerships that could double Langston’s current $22 million research portfolio within four years. To support the expansion, the Board of Regents has green-lit a $12 million capital plan that touches all three Langston campuses—Langston, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. Documents show the bulk of the funding will modernize Centennial Court Apartments, add wet-lab space in the Allied Health Building, and overhaul network infrastructure to gig-speed capability. Construction begins this fall, with phase-one ribbon-cuttings scheduled for August 2026. President Kent J. Smith, Jr. called the upgrades “mission-critical” as enrollment trends upward for the fourth consecutive year. Fall 2025 headcount is projected at 2,450, a 9 percent jump over last year, thanks in part to new programs in precision agriculture and cybersecurity that align with Oklahoma’s fastest-growing job sectors. The school will also roll out an Honors College that pairs high-achieving freshmen with faculty mentors on National Science Foundation–funded projects. Tuition, however, will edge up by 3 percent this semester—an increase administrators say is necessary to match rising utility and compliance costs while keeping Langston the most affordable four-year option in the state system. Even with the hike, in-state students will pay roughly $6,550 a year, several thousand dollars below the regional average. State lawmakers boosted Langston’s operating allocation by $5.8 million this session, applauding the university’s research ascent yet cautioning that deferred maintenance backlogs remain a concern. Additional relief comes from a one-time $10 million appropriation in the new state budget earmarked specifically for classroom technology and ADA compliance upgrades. For students like senior biology major Aniyah Williams, the timing is ideal. “The new labs mean I can finish my cancer-genomics thesis right here instead of commuting to Stillwater,” she said. Faculty echo that sentiment, noting that the enhanced facilities will help the university retain top talent and lift graduation rates, which already lead Oklahoma’s regional-university sector at 49 percent. With shovels ready, grant writers busy, and applications soaring, Langston University is betting that strategic investment—not just in bricks and mortar but in research, affordability, and student success—will secure its place among the nation’s rising HBCU powerhouses for decades to come.