Applications to HBCUs rise dramatically as nationwide college enrollment falls

Judy Woodruff:

The total number of undergraduate college students in the U.S. has dropped by almost 10 percent during the pandemic, but it’s been a different story for some time at many historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, where interest and funding have increased.

Applications were up nearly 30 percent at many of these schools between 2018 and 2021. And top-tier HBCUs are increasingly becoming the first choice for some of the country’s most sought-after students. Yet HBCUs face some fundamental challenges too.

Special correspondent Hari Sreenivasan has this report. It’s the first in our latest series on Rethinking College.