39. Invest in and support institutions that serve higher proportions of traditionally underrepresented students.

Finance 09.6.24

Here’s what the federal government can do:

  • Congress should expand mandatory funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).
  • Congress should increase discretionary funding dedicated to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs.
  • Congress should appropriate funding for the improvement of campus facilities at HBCUs and TCUs
  • Congress should provide greater funding for infrastructure and the improvement of campus facilities at HBCUs. Congress should request a Government Accountability Office report to study the implementation of such programs.
  • Congress should ensure that MSIs continue to have separate and robust programs and funding streams.
  • The U.S. Department of Education should conduct outreach and provide technical assistance to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs so that institutions are provided with an understanding of guidance to apply for federal funding programs.
  • Federal agencies should ensure that outreach, opportunities for institutional/community engagement, and technical assistance are provided prior to and throughout the grant award making process.
  • Agencies should further track how many grants are awarded to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs.

Here’s what state government can do:

  • State legislatures should increase funding dedicated to HBCUs.

Federal programs providing institutional aid to colleges and universities that serve traditionally underrepresented students began when the Higher Education Act of 1965 was signed into law.[i] Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act (HEA) grants funding based on criteria such as core expenses, number of students on campus receiving need-based aid, and enrollment of traditionally underrepresented students. HBCUs were the first institutions to be designated eligible for these grants in the Higher Education Amendments of 1986, followed by the designation of Tribally Controlled Community Colleges in 1992, which evolved into TCUs. HBCUs and TCUs do not need to apply for eligibility designation annually.[ii] Except for TCUs and HBCUs, institutions that qualify for these funding programs are known as Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). MSIs include Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), Native American Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNHs).

Policies to fund higher education institutions must acknowledge the role of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in serving traditionally underrepresented students. These institutions frequently enroll higher percentages of Pell recipients compared to other institutions, showcasing the crucial educational opportunities they provide.[iii] Despite their severe underfunding, these institutions continue to serve as the primary engines of upward socioeconomic mobility for traditionally underrepresented students.[iv] Across all institution types, four-year HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs propel more students from the lowest income quintile to the top income quintile than institutions outside of these categories.[v] Without protecting the future viability of these institutions through targeted financial and resource investment, the national postsecondary system stands at risk of failing traditionally underrepresented students seeking access to educational opportunities.

  • Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHs): Alaska Native-serving institutions enroll at least 20 percent Alaska Native undergraduate students. Native Hawaiian-serving institutions enroll at least 10 percent Native Hawaiian undergraduate students.[vi] In 2023, there were 16 ANNHs.[vii]
  • Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs): AANAPISIs are institutions where at least 10 percent of undergraduate students are Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander. In 2023, there were 200 AANAPISIs.[viii]
  • Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs): HSIs are institutions where at least 25 percent of full-time undergraduate students are Hispanic.[ix] In 2023, there were 541 HSIs serving more than 2 million Hispanic students.[x]
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): HBCUs have been central to the American story of social and economic opportunities provided through education. The establishment of the first HBCU, Cheyney University, dates back to 1837 during a time when Black students were denied access to higher education institutions through legalized discrimination. Since their establishment, HBCUs have facilitated the creation of a Black middle class, strengthened the civil rights movement, and empowered prominent Black Americans to rise in leadership. HBCUs comprise 3 percent of colleges and universities and enroll 16 percent of all Black students in higher education.[xi] Today there are 103 HBCUs serving more than 289,000 students.[xii]
  • Native American-Serving, Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs): NASNTIs are institutions that are not affiliated with American Indian and Native Alaskan tribes, but where at least 10 percent of undergraduate students are Native American. In 2023, there were 18 NASNTIs.[xii]
  • Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs): PBIs are institutions where at least 40 percent of undergraduate students are Black and where at least 50 percent of undergraduates are students with lower incomes or first-generation college students.[xiv]
  • Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs): TCUs were created to support tribal nation-building following the cultural and economic impact of colonization on generations of Native peoples and their communities.[xv] TCUs serve a critical role by actively revitalizing Native languages and culture, promoting tribal sovereignty, providing educational opportunities, and building economic growth. Today, there are 37 TCUs, enrolling more than 30,000 full- and part-time students, throughout Native Country.[xvi] TCUs are located mostly in the Midwest and Southwest regions and can vary from rural reservations to urban locations, woodlands, deserts, and tundra. Despite their significance in higher education, TCUs remain underfunded. In most states, TCUs do not receive state tax financial support and rely primarily on federal funding.[xvii]

 

“”At a time when many schools barred their doors to Black Americans, these colleges [HBCUs] offered the best, and often the only, opportunity for a higher education.”

President George H.W. Bush
April 28, 1989

[i]The Higher Education Act of 1965 established program funding under Title III, “Strengthening Developing Institutions.” Funding for programs under HEA – Title V was established in 1998.

[ii]Eligibility 2022 For FY22 Grant Applications, U.S. Department of Education. https://hepis.ed.gov/assets/pdf/Eligibility_2022_Application_Booklet.pdf.

[iii]“2023 Social Mobility Elevator Rankings” Education Reform Now. https://edreformnow.org/higher-ed/social-mobility-elevators/2023-social-mobility-elevator-rankings/.

[iv]Simana, Jabari. “The Injustice of Underfunded Public HBCUs” Governing, November 10, 2023. https://www.governing.com/education/the-injustice-of-underfunded-public-hbcus#:~:text=Failure%20to%20provide%20that%20%E2%80%9Cequitable,were%20asleep%20at%20their%20wheels.

[v]Espinosa, Lorelle; Kelchen, Robert; & Morgan, Taylor. “Minority-Serving Institutions As Engines of Upward Mobility,” American Council on Education, 2018. https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/MSIs-as-Engines-of-Upward-Mobility.pdf.

[vi]“Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions — Title III Part A Programs” U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/programs/iduesannh/eligibility.html.

[vii]FY 2023 Eligibility Matrix (Ms Excel). https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/2023eligibilitymatrix.xlsx.

[viii]FY 2023 Eligibility Matrix (Ms Excel). https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/2023eligibilitymatrix.xlsx.

[ix]“White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics,” U.S. Department of Education. https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/.

[x]FY 2023 Eligibility Matrix (Ms Excel). https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/2023eligibilitymatrix.xlsx.

[xi] “Minority Serving Institutions Program,” U.S. Department of the Interior, July 1, 2015. https://www.doi.gov/pmb/eeo/doi-minority-serving-institutions-program.

[xii]“Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=667.

[xiii]FY 2023 Eligibility Matrix (Ms Excel). https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/2023eligibilitymatrix.xlsx</a

[xiv]“Predominantly Black Institutions Program – Formula Grants,” U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/programs/pbihea/eligibility.html.

[xv]Stull, Ginger; Spyridakis, Demetrios; Gasman, Marybeth; Castro Samayoa, Andrés; & Booker, Yvette. “Redefining Success: How Tribal Colleges and Universities Build Nations, Strengthen Sovereignty, and Persevere Through Challenges,” https://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/MSI_TBLCLLGreport_Final.pdf.

[xvi]Laderman, Sophia; Rameriez, Joseph; & Hoa Nguyen, Mike. “What Counts as a Minority-Serving Institution? Toward the Utilization of a Standardized and Uniform Definition and Typology,” The MSI Data Project, March 13, 2023. https://nyu.app.box.com/s/kf6ihe5wcm8gc4pkgcbvv5dfzjy2w6rm/file/1163348827888.

[xvii]Ibid.