“Maryland's preeminent public urban research university and one of the largest HBCUs, founded in 1867.”
Morgan State University is a public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and Maryland's designated public urban research university, located on a 143-acre campus in northeast Baltimore. Founded in 1867 as the Centenary Biblical Institute, Morgan is Maryland's largest HBCU and, since 2022, has been classified as an R2 (High Research Activity) doctoral institution by Carnegie — a rare designation among HBCUs. Morgan has entered its fifth consecutive year of record enrollment, surpassing 11,500 students, and now enrolls more than 1,000 international students (roughly 9-10% of the student body), including both undergraduate and graduate F-1 visa holders from over 70 countries. The university is organized into ten schools and colleges, including the Clarence M. Mitchell School of Engineering, the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management (AACSB-accredited), the School of Architecture & Planning, the School of Global Journalism & Communication, and the School of Community Health & Policy. Morgan is particularly known for producing engineering, architecture, and computer science talent — it is one of the top HBCU producers of Black engineers nationally — and for its flagship graduate programs in urban planning and public health. The Clara I. Adams Honors College offers selective undergraduate experiences including study abroad, Fulbright advising, and signature research opportunities. For international students, Morgan offers a combination of HBCU culture, affordable urban-public pricing, and dense Baltimore-D.C.-corridor career opportunities. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid but can receive institutional scholarships and on-campus work-study roles. The Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISS) coordinates I-20 issuance, visa advising, CPT/OPT/STEM OPT authorization, and a vibrant international student community. Morgan competes in NCAA Division I athletics (the Bears play in the MEAC for football and the Northeast Conference for most other sports), maintains more than 120 student organizations, and hosts signature traditions including the Homecoming week festivities, the legendary Morgan-Howard football rivalry, and the Earl G. Graves School of Business pitch competitions. Baltimore itself — "Charm City" — offers rich cultural assets (the Baltimore Museum of Art, Inner Harbor, world-class medical and biotech anchors at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland) and convenient rail access to Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
International Student Enrollment (F-1)
DHS SEVIS by the Numbers (2024)
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Research Classification
Carnegie Classification
HBCU size
Wikipedia
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRegular Decision (Fall — intl undergraduate)
Morgan's undergraduate international fall deadline. Some documents due December 31.
Regular Decision (Fall — intl graduate)
Graduate international fall deadline (for F-1 students both in and out of USA).
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$8,229
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$19,124
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
ABET-accredited programs in civil, electrical, industrial, and computer engineering; a top HBCU producer of Black engineers. Active research in transportation, smart cities, and computational engineering.
AACSB-accredited college with ~1,500 students across undergrad and graduate programs. Entrepreneurship, finance, accounting, hospitality, and information systems all well-established.
One of only seven HBCU-based NAAB-accredited architecture programs in the country. Graduate City and Regional Planning program is nationally ranked.
Computer science, data science, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics. Home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies.
Accredited multimedia journalism program with the iconic WEAA-FM 88.9 radio station as its campus laboratory. Strong in strategic communications and PR.
MPH and doctoral programs in public health, nutritional sciences, and health policy, with focus on urban health disparities.
4 years
ABET-accredited program with strong placement into federal agencies (DOT, USACE) and Mid-Atlantic infrastructure firms. Top HBCU producer of Black civil engineers.
5 years
NAAB-accredited B.Arch at one of only seven HBCU architecture programs. Design-studio intensive with urban-planning and community-design emphasis reflecting Baltimore context.
4 years
ABET-accredited with strong pathways into cybersecurity, data science, and software engineering. Faculty lead active research in AI, cybersecurity, and computational biology.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $19,124
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
