Howard Students Protest Debt Collection Tactics

On June 4, 2025, Howard University students were blindsided by an email. It warned that if they didn’t pay off their outstanding balances by June 30th, their accounts would be sent to an external collections agency. Now, students are in what the university calls the “pre-collections” period, giving them until August 29th before their balances are officially turned over. The message? Pay soon or risk interacting with debt collectors.

According to some students, what the email didn’t offer was any form of empathy — no explanation of resources, no reassurance, and very little grace. Since then, students have called the university’s communication style “curt,” “cold,” and even “disrespectful,” especially given how difficult it’s been to reach anyone. Some report being stuck on hold for over two hours, only to be disconnected.

Ka’Darius McNair, a rising senior, is one of many students left scrambling. “I never took out an unsubsidized loan,” he said. “But every three days for months, I was getting charged for an unsubsidized loan fee.” McNair says he’s sent nine emails to financial aid without a single response. His situation is even more complex — in Fall 2024, he found out he wouldn’t receive his ROTC funding because the program had run out of money.

McNair didn’t join ROTC because he wanted to. “My parents told me they could cover my first two years, and I’d figure out the rest,” he explained. ROTC was his plan to stay in school, but between the lack of funding and new unexplained fluctuations in his student account balance, he’s unsure about his future as a Howard University student.

While some students have turned inward, others are speaking up. Taliana Singleton, a rising senior and one of the organizers behind the new Whose Howard Is It? movement, says this moment reflects a larger pattern. “It’s not just about this one issue — it’s about how this university responds to its students,” she said. The group released a list of demands ranging from an emergency aid fund to stronger administrative accountability and transparent communication practices.

Not everyone agrees with their tactics. Some students feel the demands are “too much” and say calling for resignations crosses a line. Singleton disagrees. “We love Howard. You don’t push for change in a place you don’t care about.”

Singleton is also preparing to transfer out of Howard. After being blocked from registering for major-required classes last semester due to a financial hold, she realized she couldn’t complete her degree on time. Even so, she remains committed to fighting for students who will stay behind. “I love Howard,” she said, “but they need to do better.”

Howard University responded to student frustrations in a statement on July 23, claiming that half of the 1,000 impacted student accounts have already been resolved. The university cited expanded hours and more resources to help students resolve balances before the fall, stating: “The University is working to ensure that all students with account holds, who are in need of service, are addressed prior to the start of the academic year, and is offering virtual and expanded hours to meet with students.”

Still, for many students, the damage is done. The fight now is about more than collections — it’s about respect, care and whether their university is truly listening. As deadlines loom and uncertainty lingers, students across all class years say the energy on campus feels tense, heavy and disillusioned. Some are angry, others are exhausted, but most agree: it didn’t have to get this far.