Hampton University

Admission to Hampton University is moderately accessible, but the school sees only a small fraction of accepted applicants ultimately enroll. In 2025, the university posted an acceptance rate of 62.2%, which was higher than 34% of peer schools in the all private comprehensive universities group. Among those offered admission, the yield rate reached just 10.3%, placing it higher than 16% of peer schools and showing that the institution faces substantial competition in converting admitted students into matriculants. At the same time, the university's standing on the US News Best Colleges ranking list has slipped over the past several years, falling from 218 in 2020 to 273 in 2026. For prospective applicants, these patterns mean that gaining an offer of admission is relatively achievable, but the school does not exert a particularly powerful draw on admitted candidates compared to other private institutions nationwide.

Hampton University maintains an admission test policy that is optional, with scores considered if submitted. For the 2025 entering class, 49% of enrolled students submitted SAT scores, while a smaller share provided ACT results. Among enrolled students who reported scores in 2025, the middle 50% earned an ACT composite score between 13 and 22, with section scores in English and math spanning similar ranges. On the SAT, Hampton recorded a school-wide median score of 952, a figure higher than 1% of peer schools across all private comprehensive universities. These figures indicate that Hampton admits students across an accessible academic range, with standardized testing levels sitting substantially below those of most private comprehensive peer institutions. For prospective applicants reviewing their academic preparation, these published ranges provide a clear benchmark of the testing profiles typically represented within the enrolled freshman class.

Undergraduate degrees at Hampton University show moderate dispersion across fields rather than heavy concentration, with the top three bachelor's majors accounting for 23.1% of all bachelor's degrees awarded in 2025. These leading fields by graduate count are psychology, biology, and political science and government. However, the largest undergraduate programs do not hold prominent national standings, as none of the university's ranked programs appear in the top one hundred of the US News rankings. Instead, career earnings vary widely by academic discipline. According to 2023 earnings data, bachelor's graduates in general engineering reported median first-year earnings of $92,196, while registered nursing graduates earned a median of $78,704. Fields such as business administration followed with lower starting salaries. For prospective students, these figures indicate that technical and clinical credentials deliver the highest initial financial returns, even though popular enrollments remain largely clustered in standard arts and sciences majors.

In 2025, Hampton University enrolled 4,244 students across all academic levels, maintaining an undergraduate population that is predominantly African American and majority female. International and Asian students represent very limited shares of the overall student community. Among incoming freshman undergraduates, international students account for 2.4% of the cohort, with 27 enrolled students, while continuing undergraduates and transfer cohorts enroll few foreign students. Asian representation across the institution is similarly minimal. Within the graduate division, Asian students make up 1% of enrolled students, totaling 5 individuals, while undergraduate transfers record minimal Asian enrollment and other classes report none. For prospective applicants, particularly those from abroad or from Asian backgrounds, these demographic patterns show that both groups form a very small minority of the campus population.

The undergraduate student body at Hampton University consists almost entirely of traditional college-age students, shaping a typical residential campus culture. In 2025, students aged 18 to 19 made up 55.9% of all undergraduates, while those aged 20 to 21 accounted for 29.2%, meaning the vast majority enter directly from high school and progress together through their early twenties. In contrast, the graduate division shows a broader age span. While students aged 22 to 24 formed the largest graduate segment at 33.5%, a meaningful share of graduate students are older working adults in their late twenties and beyond. This distinct separation means undergraduate campus activities center around young adults, whereas graduate programs accommodate a mix of continuing students and experienced adult learners.

International student enrollment at Hampton University is very low and has moved in divergent directions by study level. In 2025, international undergraduates comprised 1.5% of the undergraduate student body, a modest increase from earlier years that placed the school higher than 17% of peer schools in the all private comprehensive universities group. Conversely, international graduate enrollment declined over the past decade, falling to 2.3% of all graduate students in 2025. Among degree recipients in 2025, international students earned just 1.2% of bachelor's degrees. International undergraduates were entirely absent from the most popular bachelor's majors, including psychology and biology, appearing only in small shares in liberal studies and business operations. At the graduate level, international degree recipients concentrated primarily in master's programs such as sport and fitness administration and speech-language pathology. Overall, international students form a minimal presence across almost every academic department.

Families exploring Hampton University can also evaluate several other four-year institutions located within a short drive. Located 26.7 kilometers away in Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public institution ranked 52nd among National Universities in 2027. Further northwest in Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University sits 71.3 kilometers away and held a rank of 156 among National Universities, offering a large public research setting. In the same city, 76.4 kilometers from Hampton, University of Richmond provides a private liberal arts college option, ranked 21st among National Liberal Arts Colleges. Additionally, East Carolina University lies 113.2 kilometers to the south in North Carolina, holding a rank of 202 among National Universities. These neighboring institutions provide contrasting campus environments across public and private classifications in the broader coastal and central Virginia region.

Campus safety at Hampton University is characterized primarily by internal disciplinary enforcement rather than widespread violent crime. In 2025, the university recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 7.1, reflecting a slight rise over the preceding decade. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, institutional infractions accounted for the largest category of documented occurrences, led by 173 drug disciplinary referrals and 25 alcohol disciplinary referrals. In contrast, criminal property offenses and violent incidents were far less common over those three years, consisting of limited counts of larceny, motor vehicle theft, and reported rape. For prospective students and families reviewing campus security, these records demonstrate that university staff regularly document and penalize substance-related conduct infractions, while major criminal acts remain relatively infrequent on campus property.