HBCUs: Pathways to Opportunity and a Bulwark Against Incarceration
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have long been recognized for their vital role in U.S. Higher education and their proven success in graduating Black students who go on to achieve professional success. But as a criminologist with 13 years of studying the relationship between education and the criminal justice system, and as a Black woman who attended an HBCU, I believe these institutions offer a benefit often overlooked: a disruption of the conditions that can lead young people, particularly Black youth, into the criminal justice system.
The United States incarcerates approximately 1.6 million people, with Black Americans locked up at five times the rate of their white counterparts. This disparity begins early, with Black teenagers 5.6 times more likely to be placed in juvenile detention than white teenagers, and those incarcerated as juveniles are nearly four times more likely to be incarcerated as adults. Despite these stark statistics, the vast majority of Black people are not incarcerated.
Attending a college or university, any college or university, doesn’t guarantee financial stability, and not graduating doesn’t automatically lead to incarceration. However, research consistently demonstrates a strong link between education and lower crime rates. College graduates who do commit crimes reoffend at rates below 6%, while individuals who drop out of high school return to prison at rates around 75%.
Understanding HBCUs
Today, Notice roughly 100 HBCUs across 19 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These institutions are a mix of public and private, nonprofit colleges and universities. Established before 1964, they originally had the mission of educating Black Americans, though today anyone can attend.
Despite representing just 3% of the nation’s colleges and universities, HBCUs produce a disproportionate share of Black professionals: 40% of Black engineers, 50% of Black lawyers, and 70% of Black doctors in the United States are HBCU graduates.
Many HBCUs are located in the South and mid-Atlantic states, a legacy of segregation that barred Black students from attending most other colleges. A significant number are also situated in rural Southern communities, areas often characterized by poverty and limited educational opportunities. Attending a local HBCU is often the most practical and affordable path to a degree for prospective students in these areas.
The average annual tuition for an in-state student at a public HBCU is roughly $7,700, well below the national average of $12,000 at public schools and $45,000 at private schools. Some public HBCUs charge as little as $1,000 in annual tuition for in-state students. Institutions like Coppin State University in Baltimore and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore even offer in-state rates to out-of-state students from areas without nearby HBCUs.
While historically focused on Black students, HBCUs are becoming increasingly diverse. In 2022, non-Black students made up 24% of the student population at HBCUs, compared to 15% in 1976. HBCUs also enroll low-income students, regardless of race, at three times the rate of predominantly white colleges.
Upward Mobility and Breaking Cycles
Research indicates that completing high school reduces arrest rates by 11% to 12% for both property and violent crimes, regardless of race or economic background. College education amplifies this effect. Studies have found that college enrollment helps young people with histories of delinquency to cease criminal activity, and completing a four-year degree reduces the likelihood of criminal behavior by 43% to 48% compared to those who started but did not finish college.
Education increases earning potential, making crime a less attractive option. It also fosters long-term thinking, strengthens community ties, and develops problem-solving skills. HBCUs, in particular, excel at graduating low-income Black students and propelling them into the middle class – an outcome linked to reduced criminal behavior.
When colleges rank by their students’ socioeconomic mobility, HBCUs consistently appear among the highest performers. Black students who attend HBCUs are 30% more likely to earn a degree than Black students at non-HBCUs, and Black HBCU graduates tend to earn more than their peers who attended other institutions.
This is crucial because poverty is a strong predictor of involvement in the criminal justice system. When colleges and universities graduate students who achieve middle-class incomes, they help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and incarceration, a pattern where children of incarcerated parents are six times more likely to end up in the justice system themselves.
Ongoing Funding Challenges
Despite their benefits, HBCUs have historically struggled with funding. In recent decades, state governments have underfunded Black land-grant universities, institutions originally created to serve Black students during segregation, by at least $12.8 billion.
Recent federal support has been inconsistent. While the Trump administration initially renewed the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the proposed 2026 budget included cuts to Howard University and redirected $435 million from programs supporting Hispanic-serving institutions to HBCUs.
The disproportionate impact of the U.S. Criminal justice system on Black Americans – from arrests to incarceration – underscores the importance of institutions like HBCUs. They offer a pathway to opportunity, economic stability, and a future free from the cycle of poverty and incarceration.
