In the early 1890s, Hugh Cale, an African-American legislator from Pasquotank County recognized the need for an institution to teach black educators in North Carolina. On March 3, 1891, Cale’s proposal passed in the state legislature. The school’s location became Elizabeth City so the institution could serve students living in the eastern section of the state. According to the university’s website, the school’s original purpose was “teaching and training teachers of the colored race to teach in the common schools of North Carolina” (Historical Highlights).
Originally called the Elizabeth State Colored Normal School, the institution started in January 1892 but on a meager budget of less than $1,000. Peter W. Moore became the school’s first president, serving from 1891 to 1928. Under Moore’s direction, enrollment at Elizabeth State increased from 23 to 355 students, and the faculty size increased to 15 members. Moore retired on July 1, 1928, and John Henry Bias became the new president.
Elizabeth State grew under the guidance of the second president as much as it had with its first. In 1937, President Bias led the school to become a four-year teachers college, and in 1939 the name was changed to Elizabeth City Teachers College. In that same year, Elizabeth City “granted its first bachelor’s degrees in 1939 in elementary education” (Powell, p. 390). Thirty years after graduating its first teachers, Elizabeth City was inducted into the University of North Carolina system in 1972, and its name was changed to Elizabeth City State University (ECSU).
By the start of the twenty-first century, Elizabeth City received numerous funds for improvements to its campus. The Higher Education Bond Referendum allotted $46.3 million to the institution, and several buildings were built throughout the school, including a physical education building, a field house, and a student complex. Other structures include a pharmacy complex and several residence halls.
In spite of the infusions of funds, ECSU went through a difficult period. It experienced a scandal over failure to report crimes on campus and another over accepting students who didn’t meet admission standards. Enrollment fell by 26 percent between 2010 and 2013—more than any other school in the UNC System—according to the News & Observer. In 2015 the North Carolina legislature proposed closing the school, but opposition, especially from the Legislative Black Caucus, was strong, and the proposal was dropped.
In 2010, ECSU’s student enrollment was 3,300. By 2016, it had fallen to 1357, reports The Assembly.
However, in 2016 the legislature adopted the NC Promise tuition plan, which ultimately applied to four UNC schools (ECSU, UNC-Pembroke, Western Carolina, and Fayetteville State). This law reduced tuition to $500 per semester for in-state students, dramatically reducing the cost of attending. Although some observers were initially skeptical, the program did, in fact, significantly increase enrollment. ECSU’s fall 2025 enrollment was 2,630. (In some cases, it appears that ECSU draws students from other schools in the UNC system rather than adding students from outside the UNC system.)
Today, ECSU offers a wide variety of bachelor’s degrees. It is the only North Carolina school with an aviation science program, which started in 1989. The ECSU’s athletic programs have won several championships in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).