Skip to content
The Ledger
The Rise · HBCU

Bethune-Cookman University

School colors: Maroon and gold

Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune-Cookman College. Dr. Bethune saying goodbye to a group of students after resigning as president of the college LCCN2017843192
Historic photograph. Gordon Parks, 1943-01, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Daytona Beach, Florida · Founded 1904

Private · Four-year · ~2,500 students

www.cookman.edu · official site

Founding

Bethune-Cookman University began on October 3, 1904, when Mary McLeod Bethune opened the Daytona Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls. The university carries her name in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Source: About, Bethune-Cookman University, read 2026-09-14.

What the school says about itself

Motto
Enter to Learn. Depart to Serve.Source, read 2026-09-17.
On the record
  • The Cookman Institute was the first institution of higher education of Blacks in the State of Florida. Source, read 2026-09-17.

On the official record

Campus address
640 Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3099
Control
Private not-for-profit
Students
~2,500 students
Directory id
132602
OPE id
00146700
Student aid
Takes part in Title IV student aid
Title III Part B list, FY 2026
Listed
Location
640 Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL. See it on the Ledger map.
Where this location comes fromCampus location from IPEDS 2024-25This campus location comes from the federal IPEDS 2024-25 record, used as published, so the pin on the map is the campus.IPEDS Institutional Characteristics, Directory information (HD2024), 2024-25 collection, file dated 2025-09-21, retrieved 2026-09-14: coordinate 29.207195, -81.032946 as published. The Census Bureau geocoder also matched this address exactly on 2026-09-14.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics, Directory information (HD2024), 2024-25 provisional data collection. Unit id 132602. https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/data/HD2024.zip. File dated 2025-09-21.
  2. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education. Higher Education Programs Eligibility Matrix, sheet 'HBCU', dated 2026-06-08. https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fy-2026-higher-education-programs-eligibility-matrix-june-8-2026-114185.xlsx.
  3. About, Bethune-Cookman University. https://www.cookman.edu/about/index.html. Read 2026-09-14.
  4. About, Bethune-Cookman University. https://www.cookman.edu/about/index.html. Read 2026-09-17.
  5. Students: 2,515 total, Fall 2023 (2,414 undergraduate, 101 graduate). IPEDS Fall Enrollment 2023, derived variables (DRVEF2023). https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/data/DRVEF2023.zip. File dated 2024-09-30, read 2026-09-17.
  6. History, Bethune-Cookman University. https://www.cookman.edu/history/. Read 2026-09-17.
  7. School colors: Maroon and gold. Values as stated. Bethune-Cookman University, Wikipedia (revision 1368964162). Read 2026-09-16.
  8. Photograph: Gordon Parks, 1943-01, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daytona_Beach,_Florida._Bethune-Cookman_College._Dr._Bethune_saying_goodbye_to_a_group_of_students_after_resigning_as_president_of_the_college_LCCN2017843192.jpg. Retrieved 2026-09-16.
  9. U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder, batch address service, benchmark Public_AR_Current. https://geocoding.geo.census.gov/geocoder/.

Enrollment is the official 2023 count, rounded. Tap a school for its source.

Machine-readable: /api/v1/hbcus/bethune-cookman-university · All HBCUs

These campuses have gathered generations. TheCookout is where the newBWS community gathers now. Pull up a plate.