How HBCUs Prevent Crime and Build Stable Futures

Historically Black colleges and universities, commonly known as HBCUs, are famous for offering Black young people a path to success. They have deep roots in American education and a long history of graduating Black students who go on to build successful careers. While these schools welcome students of all races today, they were originally created before 1964 to specifically educate Black Americans. I teach criminology and have studied how education affects the criminal justice system for thirteen years. As a Black woman who grew up in the South and attended an HBCU myself, I believe these schools provide another critical benefit that is often overlooked. They offer a pathway to higher education for young people, especially Black youth, who might not otherwise have access. By opening doors to education, jobs, and mentorship, HBCUs disrupt the conditions that often lead young people into the criminal justice system.

The United States incarcerates about 1.6 million people. Black Americans are locked up at five times the rate of white Americans. This difference in treatment starts at a young age. Black teenagers are 5.6 times more likely to be placed in juvenile detention than white teenagers. Furthermore, those who are incarcerated as juveniles are nearly four times more likely to be imprisoned as adults. Despite these stark statistics, it is important to remember that the vast majority of Black people are not incarcerated. Attending a university does not guarantee a stable financial future, and not graduating does not automatically mean someone will be imprisoned. However, research clearly shows that education, especially earning a college degree, is strongly linked to lower crime rates. College graduates who do commit crimes reoffend at rates below 6%. In contrast, people who drop out of high school return to prison at rates around 75%. This is why I believe HBCUs play a uniquely important role in helping young Black people avoid this dangerous path.

Today, there are roughly 100 HBCUs located in 19 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These schools are a mix of public institutions and private, nonprofit colleges. Although HBCUs make up just 3% of the country's colleges and universities, their graduates include 40% of Black engineers, 50% of Black lawyers, and 70% of Black doctors in the United States. Most HBCUs are located in Southern and mid-Atlantic states, a legacy of the segregation era when Black students were barred from attending most other colleges. Many are also situated in rural Southern communities where residents often live in poverty and have limited educational opportunities.

Attending a local HBCU is often one of the most practical ways for these prospective students to earn a degree. These schools are frequently more affordable than other four-year college options. The average annual tuition for an in-state student at a public HBCU is roughly US$7,700 per year, which is well below the national average. In-state tuition at public schools generally ranges from $12,000, while private schools can charge up to $45,000. Some public HBCUs charge as little as $1,000 in annual tuition for in-state students. Schools like Coppin State University in Baltimore and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore also offer in-state rates to out-of-state students from regions that do not have HBCUs nearby.

Despite their focus on Black students, HBCUs are becoming increasingly diverse. In 2022, non-Black students made up 24% of the student population at these schools, a significant increase from the 15% recorded in 1976. HBCUs also enroll low-income students, regardless of race, at three times the rate that predominantly white colleges do. This accessibility ensures that students from marginalized communities have a viable path to higher education.

Research shows that completing high school reduces arrest rates by 11% to 12% for both property and violent crimes, regardless of race or economic background. College takes this positive effect even further. Studies have found that college enrollment helps young people with histories of delinquency stop committing crimes. Completing a four-year degree reduces the likelihood of criminal behavior by 43% to 48% compared to those who started college but did not finish.

Several long-recognized reasons help explain this pattern. Education increases earning potential, making crime a riskier and less attractive option for people with a degree. Furthermore, education encourages long-term thinking, strengthens ties to employers and communities, and builds problem-solving skills that help people navigate life's challenges. I have seen firsthand, through my own experiences growing up in the South and teaching students, how HBCUs can help move Black students out of poverty. These schools stand out among other colleges for their ability to effectively graduate low-income Black students and move them into the middle class, outcomes that research links directly to reduced criminal behavior.

When researchers rank colleges by how much their students improve their socioeconomic status, income, and wealth over time, more than half of the highest-performing schools are HBCUs. Black students who attend HBCUs are 30% more likely to earn a degree than Black students who attend colleges that are not HBCUs. Additionally, Black HBCU graduates are likely to earn more money than Black non-HBCU college graduates. This matters because poverty is one of the strongest predictors of whether someone will commit a crime. When colleges and universities graduate students who earn middle-class incomes, they help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and incarceration. This pattern describes how children of incarcerated parents are six times more likely to end up in the justice system.

Despite their significant benefits, HBCUs have chronically struggled with funding. In recent decades, state governments have not given Black land-grant universities at least $12.8 billion that the federal government said they were owed. These public colleges were originally created through federal legislation to serve Black students during the segregation era.

Recent federal support for HBCUs has been mixed. In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order renewing the White House Initiative on HBCUs, a federal effort designed to help support these schools. At the time, he stated that Black colleges had no reason to fear budget cuts. However, just days later, Trump's proposed 2026 budget included $64 million in cuts to Howard University, one of the oldest and most prominent HBCUs. In September 2025, the Trump administration redirected $435 million to HBCUs by cutting funds from grant programs that had previously supported Hispanic-serving institutions and other colleges with large proportions of Hispanic or other minority students. These shifting policies create uncertainty for institutions that are vital to social stability.

The U.S. criminal justice system disproportionately affects Black people at every stage, from arrests to incarceration. Black Americans make up about 13% of the U.S. population but account for roughly 37% of all people in U.S. jails and prisons. According to the National Academies of Sciences, the lifetime risk of imprisonment for Black men born between 1975 and 1979 who had less than a high school education was about 68%. This means nearly 7 out of 10 men in that group experienced incarceration at least once.

I have seen firsthand that when Black students from low-income backgrounds enroll at HBCUs, they become more likely to complete a degree and achieve the kind of financial stability that research shows helps reduce the risk of becoming caught up in the criminal justice system. By providing accessible, high-quality education and fostering a supportive environment, HBCUs do more than just grant degrees; they offer a crucial lifeline that helps break cycles of poverty and crime for entire families and communities.