Edward Waters University plans 2028 dorm opening as historic HBCU invests in student growth

Edward Waters University will build its first new on-campus dorm since 1982 as part of a $33 million campus investment, with the residence hall expected in fall 2028.

Edward Waters University is preparing for a major change to campus life, announcing plans for a new student residence hall that will mark its first on-campus dormitory construction since 1982.

The Jacksonville institution, Florida’s first historically Black college or university, plans to open the facility in fall 2028. The project is part of a wider $33 million campus investment intended to support enrollment growth and improve student facilities.

The Associated Press, in its report on the university’s expansion plans, detailed the significance of the new residence hall after more than four decades without new on-campus dormitory construction. The project is intended to give students more opportunities to live on campus as the university continues to grow.

University president and CEO A. Zachary Faison said the new housing will help the institution accommodate more traditional residential students.

“This facility is going to, at long last, give us the additional beds that we need to be able to grow that traditional population,” Faison told Jacksonville Today.

The timing reflects a period of substantial growth at Edward Waters. University figures put fall 2026 enrollment at about 1,281 students, up 37.4% from 2019 and the institution’s highest total in more than two decades. The university has said limited campus space has become a challenge as student numbers increase.

The housing project is also part of a broader national trend: historically Black colleges and universities recorded a 3.6% enrollment increase between spring 2025 and spring 2026, according to figures from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center cited by Jacksonville Today.

Rice Capital Access Program CEO William Fisher said the financing reflects confidence in the university’s financial management and growth strategy, rather than a charitable contribution. The firm has also helped other HBCUs, including Morgan State, Hampton, Morehouse and Jackson State, secure financing.

Beyond construction, the plans carry significance for students and alumni who see campus development as a continuation of Edward Waters’ long history. Student Taryn Sanders said the project would become part of the institution’s legacy, adding that the university must keep building on its achievements rather than remain defined by its past.

“I love the fact that ‘Yes, we are the first HBCU in Florida and we have a history.’ We are now adding to our history because this moment we just had will be set in history,” Sanders says. “It will be something for future students and generations. I love that. We’ve gotta keep adding. We can’t just think, ‘We were this and we stopped there.’ We gotta keep moving forward.”

The residence hall is expected to provide additional capacity as Edward Waters pursues further enrollment growth. Its completion in 2028 would end a 44-year gap in new on-campus dormitory construction and give future students another way to experience campus life.