by Khalayha Ashley

Imagine having an entire education system built by your people for your people. Historically Black Colleges/Universities, formerly known as HBCUs are schools that were originally founded to educate those of African American descent. It’s time to apply to colleges, which should you choose? A HBCU or a PWI? When given the option to attend either an HBCU or a PWI, African American students should make the decision to attend a HBCU for many reasons. Those reasons being price, diversity and location.

The cost of attending a historically black college or university vs. the price of attending a primarily white institution is significantly lower. The cost of attending Delaware State University is about $16,138 per academic school year. Delaware State University is a HBCU. The cost of attending SUNY Albany is about $24,370 per academic school year. With all HBCU vs. PWI price ranges, you will notice HBCUs always end up being the cheaper option. Regardless whether you attend a HBCU or a PWI, within four years, or whenever you graduate you will be receiving the same bachelor’s degree.

HBCUs are also known to be very diverse. Yes, they are historically black college or university, but there are a lot of other races there as well. Although PWI do have other ethnicities besides caucasian, there isn’t many blacks. Some people say blacks, or people in general should attend PWIs as a way to get out of their comfort zone and network with other races. HBCUs, however, are just as equally diverse as PWIs but as an African-American individual, you’ll be surrounded by more African-Americans than you would be at a PWI. Both types of schools consist of people from all different cultural backgrounds.

Location may also play a big part in where you may ultimately decide to spend the next four or so years of your life. With there being over 100 historically black colleges and universities in the United States, there are plenty to choose from! Most HBCUs are closer to down south, but on the bright side, it’s a lot warmer there!

Ultimately when deciding whether to attend a HBCU or PWI, three factors should be taken into consideration: price, diversity and location. What do you look for in a school? What matters most to you as an African American student? Historically black colleges or universities will always be the better choice.