Students from Morehouse College, a historically Black college, visit with former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson in 2016. | U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Students from Morehouse College, a historically Black college, visit with former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson in 2016. | U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Some colleges are struggling with a declining number of prospective students, but historically Black colleges and universities in North Carolina are moving in the opposite direction.
Asia Womack, an incoming freshman at North Carolina Central University, explains why she chose the university.
"It says that success is everywhere,” Womack said in a WTVD report. “I came to visit. You know, took the tour of the campus and I fell in love with the campus.”
HBCU students might choose their particular college because of family tradition, but some might appeal to the shared culture among students on campus.
"My family is an HBCU family,” Alex Henderson said. “My grandad went to Morehouse and my aunt went to Duke, bless her soul."
Some students even call their choice to attend an HBCU a by-product of the death of George Floyd. Numbers for this academic school year have yet to be released, but past numbers show an upward trend, the WTVD report said.
St. Augustine's University, in Raleigh, for example, reported the largest number of freshmen students in 10 years for the 2020-2021 school year. Meanwhile, Fayetteville State University said this year’s enrollment is its largest.
"I feel like (I get) more personalized learning,” student Logan Tilton said. “Even though we're all from different places we somehow have some type of shared culture."
Alerts Sign-up