105 colleges comprise the group of schools known as HBCUs—historically black colleges and universities. Most were established after the Civil War with the express purpose of providing higher education opportunities to African-American students. Nearly all of them were founded in states that formerly supported slavery. Since the Civil Rights laws of the 1960s, some state-supported HBCUs have sought to increase diversity, and, at a few of these colleges, Black students are no longer in the majority. Most, however, are still predominantly African-American in make-up.
While the HBCUs represent just 3% of all of the Nation’s colleges, they graduate nearly 20% of African-American students who earn a bachelor’s degree. In addition, nearly half of African-American professionals and public school teachers earned their degree at an HBCU. Also, nearly 70% of African-American doctors and dentists attended a HBCU.
It’s clear that HBCUs have played a unique role in educating students to be competitive in the corporate, professional, academic, military, and governmental worlds. They provide a strong sense of community, a place at which students can find the security of being members of the majority, and often offer courses and cultural experiences that speak directly to the needs of the African-American community.
