A Statistical Snapshot of the Nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that in 2009 there were 322,789 students enrolled at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities. This is the highest level in U.S. history. Of these 322,789 students, 197,123, or 61.1 percent, were women. Of the total enrollments at HBCUs, 264,090 students were African Americans. Thus, blacks were 81.8 percent of all enrollments at the nation’s HBCUs.

During the 2008-09 academic year, the nation’s historically black colleges and universities awarded more than 44,000 degrees. Here is the breakdown by degree level:

Associate’s degrees: 3,469
Bachelor’s degrees: 31,416
Master’s degrees: 7,228
Professional degrees: 1,908
Doctorates: 667

Copyright © 2011. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.