by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
A 2007 study by Roland Fryer and Michael Greenstone has found that graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) suffer a wage penalty relative to their counterparts who attend Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The authors conclude that in comparison to black students who attend PWIs, graduates of HBCUs earn 20% less on the job market than their counterparts.
Equally interesting is that out of the 20 universities with the highest black graduation rates, only one of them (Howard) is an HBCU. Some wonder if this result, as well as the wage differential, cuts into the perceived value of an HBCU education.
