HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Several historically Black colleges and universities opened the new school year with record enrollment, at a time when some predominately White institutions are reporting a decline in student diversity.
So, what’s causing a shift in interest in the black education experience?
In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed affirmative action, preventing colleges from using race in admissions. While the decision has been major blow for many, one group is benefiting — HBCUs.
It may not be a surprise that black and brown students have fewer opportunities of acceptance at elite predominately White institutions, in which some have even disposed race-based scholarships. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, undergraduate HBCU enrollment is up 4% this fall.
“I think that many students recognize that this ruling impacted them personally,” said Angela Nixon Boyd, Hampton University assistant vice president of enrollment and dean of admission. “And so they, again, want to be in an environment where they feel welcomed, feel safe and that they feel that they will have an opportunity for success.”
Virginia’s Hampton University now joins the list of historically Black Institutions of higher learning seeing a jump in this year’s enrollment numbers. Boyd also attributes the spike in interest in HBCUs to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“This is when I noticed the shift,” Boyd said. “We were certainly receiving a lot of applications. But during that time there was a little bit of an explosion and a welcomed one.”
HU is also seeing significant growth in enrollment from the previous two years.
“We are expecting a class of about 1,200 new students,” Boyd said. “And so we are very excited about that. Our undergraduate population is about 3,600. Our overall population is probably nearing 4,000 this year.”
The university hopes to reach a goal of 5,000 students in the future — online and on campus.