Freelance Writing Jobs | Today's Articles | Sign In

HBCUs as a College Option

Schools Devoted to Educating African-American Students

Mar 30, 2009 Kerrie Troseth

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are great options for African-American students interested in pursuing a post-secondary education.

The United States boasts over 3000 different colleges and universities. One factor that may be important to students is the diversity makeup of the campus. HBCU’s offers a campus environment that is predominately black, which can encourage African-American students to matriculate to college.

What are HBCUs

Wikipedia defines HBCU as "institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community.” These colleges were initially designed to segregate the black community and white community in terms of education. After 1965’s desegregation laws, HBCUs have been opened to all populations.

Why are HBCU’s Important

HBCUs offer African-American students an option to attend a college where the majority of the other students are also African-American. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2005, 12.7 percent of the African-American seniors in high school matriculated to college. This is in comparison to the 65.7 percent of white students.

In order to raise the rates of African-American students to attend college after high school, colleges offer incentives and programming to meet the needs of the students. HBCUs offer a campus of other African-American students to support one another. Traditionally, HBCUs must have a predominate number of African-American students than any other population.

Another important aspect of HBCUs is that they are highly supported financially by African-American organizations. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the United Negro College Fund are both critical organizations that finance African-American student’s college education at HBCUs.

Where are the HBCUs

The majority of HBCUs are located in the southern part of the United States. Currently there are 103 identified HBCUs, most of which are located in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Types of HBCUs

HBCUs offer both coed and single sex campuses. Some of the more popular coed campuses are Fisk University, Howard University, and Xavier University of Louisiana. Single sex campuses include Spelman College and Morehouse College.

Overall, students who wish to be a part of a college that has a high proportionate African-American student body, high percentage of African-American professors, and substantial financial aid dedication to its students, then an HBCU can be a great match. HBCUs actively recruit potential students, so students who make the initial connection with the college can expect a committed partnership on the part of the HBCUs.

To locate a listing of HBCU colleges, consider using College Search Englnes. College Navigator has a specific search option for HBCUs.

The copyright of the article HBCUs as a College Option in Colleges is owned by Kerrie Troseth. Permission to republish HBCUs as a College Option in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

HBCU