MEMPHIS, Tenn. — They’re no longer the only option for African-American students, but the country’s historically black colleges and universities brag that they provide a supportive environment where these students are more likely to succeed.
That, though, is not necessarily true.
An Associated Press analysis of government data on the 83 federally designated four-year HBCUs shows just 37 percent of their black students earn a degree within six years.
That’s 4 percentage points lower than the national college graduation rate for black students.
One major reason: the struggles of black men. Just 29 percent of HBCU males complete a bachelor’s degree within six years, AP found.
A few HBCUs, like Howard and all-female Spelman, have much higher graduation rates, exceeding the national averages for both black and white students.
Others are clustered among the worst-performing colleges in the country. At 38 HBCUs, fewer than one in four men who started in 2001 had completed a bachelor’s degree by 2007, the data show. At Texas Southern, Voorhees, Edward Waters and Miles College, the figure was less than 10 percent.
To be sure, women are outperforming men across education, and many non-HBCUs struggle with low graduation rates. And the rates don’t account for students who transfer or take more than six years, which might be more common at HBCUs than at other schools.
Most important, HBCUs educate a hugely disproportionate share of low- income students. Compared with other colleges defined by the government as “low-income serving,” HBCU graduation rates are just a few points lower. Factoring in obstacles such as lower levels of academic preparation, some research suggests that HBCUs do as well with black students as do majority- white institutions.
Still, HBCUs’ low completion rates, especially for men, have broad consequences, on and off campus. Women account for more than 61 percent of HBCU students, AP found. They have unprecedented leadership opportunities, but also pay a price — in everything from one-sided classroom discussions to competition for dates.
HBCUs educate only one-quarter of black college students but produce an outsized number of future black graduate students and leaders. That group is distinctly female; HBCUs award twice as many degrees to women as to men.
The good news is some HBCUs are working hard to boost graduation rates — and succeeding. Experts say that proves failure isn’t inevitable, but it also means it’s fair to ask tough questions of schools that are not improving.
