WHY

The retention of minority students had been widely acknowledged as one of the most challenging problems of higher education. In 2014 the national average retention rate of freshman minority students is 52% compared to 62% for the White majority students.

Approximately forty-six percent of black students enrolled in four-year public institutions complete their degrees in six years (lowest compared to other races).

The unemployment rate for blacks with college degrees averages about 9.5%, whites 4.7. Blacks without a college degree averaged an unemployment rate of about 28.4% compared to whites at approximately 14.6%.

In 2018 approximately 9.5% of African American seniors choose the HBCU pathway. 

According to the 2014 U.S, Census Bureau ACS study 27% of all African American men, women, and children live below the poverty level.

An HBCU graduate can expect to earn an additional $927,000 in their lifetime, which is 56% more than they could expect to earn without their HBCU degrees or certificates.

HBCUs have over a $10.2 billion positive impact on the nation’s economy