African American Students' Decision To Attend College, College Choice Experience, And The Decision To Attend An Historically Black College Or University

Abstract

The intent of this research is to explore African American students' decision to attend college, their college choice experiences and the factors that influenced their decision to attend an HBCU. This qualitative study examined the interviews of 23 African American traditional age college students who decided to attend an HBCU. Their interviews were coded and reviewed for common themes using college choice as the lens. The frequently mentioned factors were parents, costs, reputation, and location. All participants had very unique experiences as they went through the college choice process. Some students college choice process varied in length but most described it as stressful. Location and reputation were primary reasons for students choose to attend HBCUs.