Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are educational institutions founded primarily to serve African Americans, although they are not exclusionary in their admissions. According to the Higher Education Act of 1965, an HBCU is defined as “ . . . any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association . . . or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.” Research has demonstrated that HBCUs have some of the lowest rates of alcohol use among the nation’s institutions of higher education.

By the Numbers

Fourteen percent of all African American students in higher education are enrolled in the 105 nationally recognized HBCUs. HBCUs represent 24 percent of all African American students in four-year colleges, with approximately 15 percent of all master’s and other advanced degrees earned by African American men and women in these institutions. (Source: U.S. Department of Education)

Alcohol Use

Ongoing studies confirm that students at HBCUs and African American students in general drink far less and suffer fewer consequences than do students at predominantly white institutions. This disparity in alcohol consumption appears to be strongly related to factors such as HBCUs’ emphasis on character development in their institutional goals and their enrollment of many students with strong religious values. As a result, the atmosphere at HBCUs mitigates against the “culture of drinking” found on so many other college and university campuses.