Morehouse gift highlights philanthropy ... and black student debt

May 20, 2019
Billionaire tech investor Robert Smith surprised Morehouse graduates by promising to pay off their student loans. Black students are more likely than white students to graduate with student debt, according to research.
Billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith pledged up to $40 million to pay off Morehouse College graduates' student loans at commencement on Sunday.
Morehouse College

We're still figuring out how to desegregate higher education

May 25, 2018
What Mississippi's historically black colleges and universities teach us about centuries-old inequities
A view of the State Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Historically black colleges and universities add $15 billion a year to the economy, study shows

Nov 14, 2017
Fifteen billion dollars a year. That’s about how much historically black colleges and universities contribute to the U.S. economy each year, according to a new study released today by the United Negro College Fund and conducted by the University of Georgia. As Marketplace’s Reema Khrais reports, it’s part of a bigger strategy to highlight the relevance […]

Students flock to historically black colleges where they feel welcome

Oct 24, 2017
Rising racial tension is one reason for the growth.
First-year student NaTavia Williams came to Morgan State from Colorado to study multimedia journalism.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

Black college leaders say Trump administration hasn't made good on its promises to HBCUs

Aug 24, 2017
The White House has yet to name a director or board of advisers to oversee its initiative.
President Donald Trump is applauded before signing an executive order to bolster historically black colleges and universities in the Oval Office on Feb. 28.
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Report finds racial bias in the bond market against historically black colleges and universities

Apr 12, 2016
Historically black colleges and universities pay 15 to 20 percent more to borrow.
Graduates of Bowie State University — Maryland's oldest historically black university — arrive for the school's graduation ceremony.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Change to PLUS loan program hits HBCUs hard

Oct 28, 2014
Some schools have seen enrollments drop by more than 10 percent.

For public good, not for profit.

How an HBCU with 35 students keeps its doors open

Mar 13, 2014
There are 105 historically black colleges and universities in the U.S. One of the smallest -- Morris Brown College -- struggles to stay afloat.

Historically black colleges struggle to compete

Oct 10, 2013
A federal court in Maryland ruled this week that the state had failed fully to desegregate its public higher education system.