Howard University students panic as deadline to pay off past balances approaches
Howard University
WASHINGTON - On June 4, Artavious Thompson received an email from Howard University saying he had until Monday, June 30, to pay off $12,807 in past due balances he didn’t know existed.
Artavious is one of over 1,000 Howard students up against a deadline to pay off past debts. The university recently switched to a new student portal system, creating confusion among students, parents, and faculty alike.
What they're saying:
The university released statements on social media over the last week addressing concerns; however, three of the four posts have since been deleted. They released a new statement via Instagram on Wednesday.
"Howard University remains firmly committed to supporting our students and resolving challenges related to student accounts, including past due balances."
Ni-Jilé Young is a rising senior studying international business. She is one of hundreds of students who set up a GoFundMe to help raise money to cover the cost of her past balances, while still having trouble getting in contact with Howard’s financial aid office.
"They don’t answer their emails or phone calls. I remember one time I went into the financial aid office, it was open from 11 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.," rising senior Ni-Jilé told FOX 5.
Dig deeper:
As the fallout from this crisis continues, Howard students created ‘Whose Howard is It?’, an advocacy group to help students get in contact with financial aid and receive resources from the University. They also work to keep the social media movement circulating. Their demands include:
- The resignation of the Vice President of Student Affairs
- An in-person meeting between the Board of Trustees and students
- Greater investment in financial aid and scholarships
- Improving mutual aid systems
Taliana Kalia is one of the leaders of the organization.
"Once I saw that so many people were going through it, I was like, ok, this is unacceptable. Howard cares more about their image than their students. So I made a little graphic… and asked people to keep commenting on their social media posts. So I went to look at midnight, and people had already commented!"
Howard is not allowing scholarships or financial aid to be used to cover past balances, forcing students to pay in cash or check by the deadline. There is also an option for a payment plan; however, it comes with interest.
By the numbers:
Howard’s estimated cost of attendance for the 2025-26 academic year stands at about $64,000. During the 2024-25 year, it was about $59,000. The tuition increase has put many students at risk, specifically those who rely on scholarships, financial aid, and grants to pay for school.
Anyae Fields is a rising sophomore at Howard, thinks Howard is abandoning their principles.
"Howard’s motto is excellence and truth and service. They’re not abiding by that at all".
Students can head to @whosehowardisit on Instagram, where they can click on their linktree for more resources. They can also reach out to the financial aid office at (202) 806-2820.
FOX 5 has reached out to Howard University for comment, but did not receive a response. We will continue to monitor this story as it develops.