HBCUs Meet the Challenge

For more than a century, HBCUs have been leaders in administrating African American College Graduates who excel in their Fields. A recent report from the National Science Foundation revealed that 21 of the top 50 institutions for educating African-American graduates who go on to receive their doctorates in science and engineering, are HBCUs. The contributions of HBCUs do not stop there:

• Even though our nation's HBCUs make up just 3 percent of colleges and universities, they produce 27 percent of African-American students with bachelor's degrees in STEM fields.

• In 2011, HBCUs conferred one-fourth of the bachelor's degrees in education awarded to African-Americans.

• Xavier University, an HBCU, awards more undergraduate degrees in the biological and physical sciences to African-American students than any other university in the nation.[ 2 ]

HBCUs have implemented proven practices to assist students in STEM fields to obtain rich professional experiences, research opportunities, and mentorships; navigate through courses and financial challenges, and drive students to post-baccalaureate success.