The nation’s fifth-oldest historically Black post-secondary institution, LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, has exceeded its enrollment goal for the 2026-2027 academic year with a total of 957 students, marking a 37% increase compared with the previous year.
Although LeMoyne-Owen recruits far and wide for applicants, school officials drew from the liberal arts college’s own backyard before the start of the school year. More than 75% of the student body are graduates of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
“While we are certainly interested in students outside of our city and outside of our state, what we did not want to do is miss the opportunity of being able to recruit some high-performing students right here in the city,” said Dr. Christopher Davis, president of the private institution.
The majority of enrollees come from underserved and under-resourced communities and many are first-generation college students. To ease the transition to college life, LeMoyne-Owen helps new students fill out forms for financial aid, which keeps tuition costs at a minimum. A full-time course load costs $3,000 per semester, or $6,000 annually.
And “intrusive advising” keeps students on track.
“We don’t wait for our students to come to the conclusion that they need an adviser. We need an intrusive adviser,” said Davis. “Not only do we want them to graduate, we want them to graduate on time.”
As the student population grows, more curricula and courses are added to the school’s academic catalog — many to address the workforce needs of local and state employers. Significant investments have recently been made in computer science and cybersecurity. Supply chain and logistics studies are available too. And the general education curriculum is also being overhauled.
“We are optimistic that we are getting ready to stand up a program within the next year in public health, which is also a great need in our state,” said Davis.
Work experience is also a must. LeMoyne Owen students are required to secure an internship before they can toss their mortarboard caps in the air. The school’s career services department serves as a liaison to connect students with area industry leaders.
“We have moved to a point in our curriculum overhaul where an internship is not only strongly suggested, it is a graduation requirement,” said Davis. “You will not be able to graduate from LeMoyne-Owen College without completing an internship.”
A larger footprint could soon be necessary too. The school recently purchased a building with 54,000 square feet of space that will become the home of a new dining hall and student center. A former YMCA building was also acquired that will house the LeMoyne-Owen College Division of Education.
“We are mindful of the fact that if we continue on this trajectory, which we anticipate we will, it is going to require us to take a serious look at student housing,” said Davis. “We are optimistic that we will be positioned to experience that type of growth.”
“As LeMoyne-Owen goes, so goes Memphis. We are inextricably tied together. Some of the most significant leaders in the history of this city come from LeMoyne-Owen College.”
Dr. Christopher Davis, president of LeMoyne-Owen College
According to Davis, the boost in enrollment would be difficult to duplicate at a larger state school. To many students, LeMoyne-Owen provides “identity, a sense of belonging” for those with similar backgrounds and life experience.
“There is already a sense of connection when you arrive. The other thing is, what they discover on our campus is, being an exceptional student is not only the expectation, that’s the norm,” said Davis. “You are expected to do well and thrive here. So when you do so, you are not an outlier.”
Prominent Memphians are listed among the school’s alumni, including the late attorney and former NAACP executive director Benjamin Hooks, Memphis’ first African American mayor, Willie Herenton, and current Shelby County Mayor Mickell Lowery.
According to its website, Lemoyne-Owen College was founded in 1862 at Camp Shiloh as Lincoln Chapel, an elementary school for formerly enslaved people. Relocating nearby to Memphis in 1863, it operated for nearly three years before it was destroyed by fire during race riots following the withdrawal of Confederate troops from southwestern Tennessee. Rebuilt in 1867, it underwent a name change in 1871, becoming LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School after a major donation from abolitionist Francis LeMoyne.
In 1914, the school moved from Orleans Street to its present location on Walker Avenue, becoming a junior college in 1924, then a four-year college in 1930. Nearly forty years later in 1968, LeMoyne merged with Owen College, established as a junior college in 1954, and became LeMoyne-Owen College, as it is called today.
“As LeMoyne-Owen goes, so goes Memphis. We are inextricably tied together,” said Davis. “Some of the most significant leaders in the history of this city come from LeMoyne-Owen College.”
