Historically black colleges and universities enrolled more than 298,000 students at the start of the 2017-18 academic year, marking the first enrollment increase for the sector since 2011.
After reaching a record-breaking 326,614 students in 2010, HBCU enrollment dropped for six consecutive years beginning in 2011, reaching a 15-year low of 292,082 students in 2016.
Attrition numbers slowed annually beginning in 2014, as decreases dwindled to just over 1,000 students per year after losing an average of 9,000 students from the nation’s two-year and four-year black college campuses between 2012 and 2014.
Total HBCU Enrollment
2012 – 312,438
2013 – 303,167
2014 – 294,316
2015 – 293,388
2016 – 292,083
2017 – 298,138
Charitable giving and grantmaking to historically black colleges and universities increased for the fourth consecutive year, surpassing more than $338 million during the 2016-17 academic year.
Data released by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics shows that it is the highest amount of non-public funding coming to the sector since grossing $351.5 million in 2012.
Private Gifts & Grants to HBCUs
2012 – $351.5 million
2013 – $304.7 million
2014 – $265.2 million
2015 – $316.8 million
2016 – $320.5 million
2017 – $338.6 million
