"Ensuring College Access and Success for Black Students in Higher Education," authored by Drs. Frank Harris III and Tina King of San Diego State University, examines persistent barriers Black students face while highlighting promising practices from institutions nationwide that are effectively supporting these students.
The report, published by the Campaign for College Opportunity, reveals concerning trends in college completion rates. According to the research, public 4-year institutions support less than half (42%) of Black students to complete degrees within six years, and only 21% of Black students at public community colleges complete degrees within three years.
Despite these challenges, Black students enroll in college immediately after high school at rates comparable to their peers (59% compared to 62% overall). However, only one in four Black Americans holds a bachelor's degree—ten percentage points below the national average.
"By the time Gianna [Floyd, George Floyd's daughter] enrolls in college, we hope that institutions will have found more innovative ways to create and sustain Black-affirming spaces on campus, that more colleges will be designated as Black-Serving Institutions, and that there will be a critical mass of Black faculty members on Gianna's campus to whom she can go for mentoring and undergraduate research opportunities," wrote the authors.
The brief spotlights several successful programs, including Sacramento State University's Black Honors College—the nation's first, established in 2024—which provides specialized coursework, residential living communities, and dedicated academic support services. It also highlights Compton College's comprehensive food security program, which provides students with one free meal daily and $20 weekly farmers' market vouchers.
The City University of New York's Black Male Initiative is another featured success story. Since its 2005 inception, the program has graduated over 100,000 students, trained more than 30,000 mentors, and expanded to 30 programs across 25 campuses.
The report offers concrete policy recommendations for institutional leaders, including ensuring job postings explicitly value demonstrated commitment to serving Black students and incorporating equity measures into employee performance reviews. For state policymakers, it recommends establishing official "Black-Serving Institution" designations—similar to California's recent Senate Bill 1348—for institutions enrolling at least 10% Black students and demonstrating commitment to their success.
Federal policy recommendations include implementing institutional scorecards reporting effectiveness in serving Black students, encouraging accrediting agencies to include success metrics for Black students in quality assessments, and increasing Pell Grant amounts to cover full attendance costs at public institutions.
This report is part of the Campaign for College Opportunity's Equity, Inclusion, Action initiative, launched in 2023 following the Supreme Court decision curtailing race-conscious college admissions. The initiative has produced 21 research resources to date designed to equip higher education stakeholders with strategies to protect student access to transformative college education.
“Ensuring Gianna's success, and that of the many young talented boys and girls like her, is both a moral and economic imperative,” the authors conclude. “The future of this country depends on our ability to support young and gifted Black scholars.”
