The Results Are There. The Funding Isn't.

Public HBCUs Are Delivering Results. Now It's Time for Funding to Catch Up.

For decades, Historically Black Colleges and Universities have done more with less.

A new report from the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund confirms what HBCU leaders have long known: public HBCUs continue to produce extraordinary outcomes despite receiving significantly fewer resources than many of their peers. The data tells a compelling story.

The Demand for Public HBCUs Is Growing

Students are choosing public HBCUs at record levels. According to the report, applications to public HBCUs have increased 126% since 2004—more than four times the growth experienced across higher education nationally. Families continue to recognize the value, culture, affordability, and opportunity these institutions provide.

The Outcomes Speak for Themselves

Public HBCUs consistently produce strong student and workforce outcomes.

Among the report's findings:

• Nearly 70% of graduates reach the middle class, approximately 50% higher than graduates from predominantly White institutions.

• More than three-quarters of students receive financial aid, reflecting the critical role these institutions play in expanding educational access.

• 80% of HBCUs with ABET-accredited engineering programs are public institutions.

• 85% of HBCUs classified as Carnegie R2 research universities are public institutions.

  
  

These institutions are preparing the next generation of engineers, educators, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and public servants who strengthen communities across the nation.

Yet the Funding Gap Remains

Despite these impressive outcomes, public HBCUs continue to operate with significantly fewer financial resources.

The report found:

• The average public HBCU endowment is just $41 million, compared to $133 million for the average private HBCU.

• Public HBCUs educate nearly 80% of all HBCU students while receiving substantially less federal funding per student than private HBCUs.

  
  

A follow-up analysis also found that 47 public HBCUs and Predominantly Black Institutions secured more than $843 million in annual federal research funding, demonstrating the enormous return these institutions generate despite decades of underinvestment.

Why This Matters in Alabama

These national findings could not be more timely.

As Alabama prepares to implement the new CHEER Act, policymakers are determining how performance-based funding will be distributed across the state's public colleges and universities. The evidence is clear. Public HBCUs are already delivering exceptional outcomes. The question is no longer whether these institutions perform—it is whether funding models will finally recognize the value they create. Performance-based funding should reward impact, not simply institutional size or historical advantage.

HBCU C.A.R.E.S. Will Continue the Conversation

At HBCU C.A.R.E.S., we believe strong public policy should be informed by strong data.

As conversations continue around higher education funding in Alabama and across the nation, we remain committed to advocating for equitable investment in HBCUs and HBCCs while helping institutional leaders understand the policies shaping higher education. Because investing in HBCUs isn't simply an investment in colleges—it's an investment in America's workforce, research enterprise, economic growth, and future.

Source: Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, The American Dividend: Public HBCUs Powering National Strength and Opportunity (2025).