What Is the Future of Historically Black Colleges?
While many schools are struggling to thrive in an environment where students are buried in debt, historically black colleges and universities are succeeding.
The future of HBCUs isn't going to be easy without some efforts made to ensure that they stay ahead of changes in higher ed. It's vital that HBCUs pay attention to trends in higher education if they want to continue to do well.
Here is what's happening with the future of HBCUs.
The Future of STEM Is at HBCUs
If you look around at the schools that are sending the most talent to the biggest pharma and tech companies in the world, they're HBCUs. The greatest minds in the nation are flocking to HBCUs because they've become a pipeline to the best engineering futures in the country.
Half of all black engineers now come from HBCUs. These programs are more than just the best engineering schools for black students. They're some of the best programs in the nation, challenging young minds and preparing them to innovate for decades after graduation.
Spelman College has become the second largest school in the U.S. to send black undergrads to medical school. This means that the small college is preparing more black undergrads for a future in medicine than any of the major state schools in New York, California, or any other populous region.
As more research funding is invested in HBCUs, they're going to remain powerhouses of new young talent. Each HBCU has their own specialty in the STEM world, and it's possible to see entire institutions that have their top staff drawn from HBCUs in the future.
Government-Mandated Changes Are Coming
Starting in 2011, the Department of Education changed its lending policies for loans that many students need to pay for attending HBCUs. They no longer look at a student's viability as a talent and whether they're on a good path, but they look at credit worthiness and income. Colleges faced a serious setback with these changes, and HBCUs alone lost $50 million in that first year.
The college population at HBCUs has long been made up of first-generation college students whose families didn't have wealth to pay for school. Years of historically scripted disadvantages and inequality made it so that loans and grants were necessary for HBCUs to do important work. When the federal PLUS loan eligibility requirements changed, HBCUs took a very hard hit in their postgraduate programs.
When some state governors moved to try to merge HBCUs with predominantly white institutions, the move was intended to slash the operating costs. However, to haphazardly merge HBCUs with other institutions belies a fundamental misunderstanding of their purpose. These schools all have important histories and student cultures that need to be preserved.
It's that individuality that attracts the student body. To undermine these institutions shows a disrespect to the way they contribute to the greater fabric of a state or to the country as a whole.
Disadvantaged Students Thrive at HBCUs
When it comes to the achievement gap beyond K-12 education, HBCUs are vital to the fabric of learning and achieving career goals. The gap in K-12 learning is being approached by state and federal governments, but beyond that, we still need to pay attention.
Even minority students who graduate from high school struggle to finish college at the same figures as white peers. Colleges around the country are picking up the slack, but HBCUs have some of the highest retention rates around. Spelman College is particularly notable for having a 90% retention rate.
This is in keeping with the top predominantly white institutions for the most part but still a few points behind the top few that hit as high as 99%. Campus culture and the student-centric programs that they offer help keep people connected to the school all throughout the year.
There are a lot more obstacles for students of color to face when it comes to returning year after year. Those predominantly white institutions where students are funded by family wealth keep students in despite all obstacles. However, when students are taking on the debt on their own, there's plenty of pressure to keep them from coming back year after year.
With HBCUs becoming thought leaders in the world of LGBT+ studies, we'll see them continue to break ground to welcome their students year after year.
They'll Face Competition From Online Schools
With other options now available and online courses offered by top-tiered programs, there might be fewer people coming to HBCUs. When students know what they need, like a trade degree or a program to prepare them for a long path to a series of advanced degrees, they choose other options. The cost of attending college is one of the most difficult hurdles to face for students.
Anyone who needs some flexibility is going to gravitate to online degrees. Online schools don't offer the kind of attention that college courses do, but they're also less time-consuming. While HBCUs have helped many first-generation students and less advantaged young talented people achieve, online schooling has taken a bite out of the market.
Thankfully, HBCUs are still offering financial aid packages that help in-state students go to school for an entire academic year for around $5,000. This kind of tuition is hard to find anywhere else. They even offer discounted packages for on-campus living to help students focus on their studies.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Create American History
Looking through the 100 most influential HBCU graduates, there are thousands more who are thought leaders and successful entrepreneurs. HBCUs are vital to the history of creating wealth and opportunity for black and brown people across the country. As long as they're flexible, they'll be able to weather the storm of changes coming due to the economic and technological shifts facing higher ed.
If you want to take a look at the most influential HBCUs, check out our latest guide.