Class of 1892 was the largest on record at MIT since the Institute opened its doors in 1865: 328 students registered for the fall semester of 1888. The cohort included Robert R. Taylor, the first known black student to attend and graduate from MIT and considered to be the first accredited African-American architect. Taylor was one of a mere handful of students from the South; most MIT students at the time were New Englanders, with a smattering from other parts of the country and from overseas.