More students are applying to and enrolling in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) than ever before, according to new data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Common Black College Application (CBCA). The uptick in HBCU enrollment is especially notable given sustained declines in college enrollment nationwide.
HBCUs enrollment first increased in 2020, with an exponential rise in applicants at some colleges and universities. For example, Morgan State University, a public research university in Baltimore, saw applications increase by 58% between 2019 and 2021. Meanwhile, Spelman College, an all-women’s college in Atlanta, saw their applications triple from 2014 to 2021, and Spellman’s neighbor, the all men’s Morehouse College, saw applications rise more than 60% from 2019 to 2020.
Many factors have contributed to the rise in HBCU applications and enrollment, including the social and racial justice demonstrations of 2020 that arose following the murder of George Floyd, a Black Minnesotan whose nine minute suffocation under the knee of a white police officer went viral and shook America’s national consciousness. The brutal killing and resultant social movement likely played a role in many students, especially Black students, giving HBCUs more consideration than before. Even more, HBCUs have risen in stature as alumni, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard University graduate, ascend to new heights in society at-large.
As applications and enrollment at HBCUs has increased, so has investment from philanthropists in campus renovations. Mackenzie Scott, a Seattle-based philanthropist, has made supporting HBCUs a core part of her philanthropy, and contributed $560 million to 23 HBCUs between 2020 and 2021. Contributions from Scott and other philanthropists are critical to sustaining HCBUs, which, like most colleges and universities, rely heavily on private donors to fund critical renovation projects and campus improvements.
Robert F. Smith’s Efforts to Support HBCUs
Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, is known for his philanthropic contributions to HBCUs. In 2019, Smith made history in his commencement speech to Morehouse College’s graduating class of 2019 when he committed to paying off the entirety of the class’ remaining student debt. Smith’s $34 million contribution allowed the graduates to begin their careers debt free, freeing them from a substantial barrier that contributes to the racial wealth gap. “We are enough to take care of our own community,” Smith told the young graduates, continuing, “We are enough to ensure we have all the opportunities of the American Dream and we will show it to each other through our actions and through our words and through our deeds.”
In addition to his substantial donation to Morehouse, Smith has also worked to address other critical challenges HBCUs face, such as broadband access. In an interview with AfroTech, Smith noted that, “[where] 82 percent of HBCUs live are in broadband deserts. That cannot stand. That is something that we need to make sure that our HBCUs and our community demand of not only the federal government but other companies that can enable all of our students to have access to broadband immediately, not five years from now.” In order to shrink the digital divide, Student Freedom Initiative , which Smith is Chairman of, partnered with Cisco last year to improve the technology infrastructure and cybersecurity systems at HCBUs.
Learn more about Student Freedom Initiative and what this organization does to help minority students.
