Black men have been disappearing from college campuses at a troubling rate, and several historically Black colleges and universities are building new systems designed to make sure getting students through the door is only the beginning. An analysis from the American Institute for Boys and Men found that Black male undergraduate enrollment across American colleges and universities dropped approximately 22 percent between 2010 and 2022. The decline was even greater at HBCUs, where Black male enrollment fell 25 percent during the same period.
The numbers also reveal a longer shift in the makeup of HBCU campuses. According to the institute’s analysis of federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System figures, Black men represented about 26 percent of HBCU students in 2022, compared with 31 percent in 2005 and 38 percent in 1976. The institute noted that there were fewer Black men enrolled at HBCUs in absolute numbers than there were during the mid 1970s.
The decline is not happening for one simple reason. HBCU administrators, students, and education organizations pointed to financial pressure, family responsibilities, mental health challenges, and difficulty developing a sense of belonging as barriers that can prevent Black men from enrolling or completing their degrees.
That has pushed some schools to rethink what Black male student support should look like.
Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, has emerged as an important example. Men account for more than 54 percent of Benedict’s student body in 2026, making its enrollment picture notably different from the broader HBCU trend.
“We’re trying to create a resource-rich environment so that in all of these co-curricular curated experiences, there are ways for students to find belonging, find their people, their tribe,” Benedict President Roslyn Artis told Capital B.
In August, Benedict College announced a $100,000 grant from The Boulé Foundation supporting its newly established B.E.S.T. Leadership Institute. According to the college, the program is designed to strengthen academic achievement, leadership development, career readiness, retention, and graduation outcomes for Black male students.
B.E.S.T. stands for belonging, excellence, service, and thoughtfulness. Benedict said participants receive individualized academic success plans, progress monitoring, early academic intervention, financial aid guidance, leadership training, career preparation, interview coaching, internship opportunities, and access to professional networks. Members of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity are also expected to participate as mentors, advisers, lecturers, and professional connections, according to the college.
That broader approach matters because enrollment alone does not guarantee a degree.
Benedict administrators have been tracking retention and academic performance to identify why Black male students leave. The school has identified financial problems, family obligations, and belonging as recurring challenges and has responded by trying to connect students with resources earlier.
Artis said the human relationships behind those programs remain central to Benedict’s strategy.
“The secret sauce is that we have men on this campus who are deeply committed to spending their off time,” Artis said. “We want to see the ultimate goal if we want to assess the efficacy of the program: equitable outcomes for men and women on this campus.”
Howard University has been building its own support network.
According to Howard University, its Men of the Mecca Initiative was created to address the unique needs of Black male students and build an infrastructure of support around them. Howard says the initiative focuses on personal well-being, academic and professional development, civic engagement, community, and belonging.
The program has included study sessions, tutoring, community service, a student lounge, Barbershop Talk discussions, and mental health-focused programming, according to Howard. The university has also used its annual Burning of Fears ceremony to introduce incoming male students to a community centered on support and belonging.
Howard continued expanding the effort in 2026. According to the university’s April announcement, it established a Men of the Mecca Leadership Council made up of leaders from male student organizations, including cultural organizations, athletic teams, and LGBTQ+ groups. Howard said the council is intended to advise university leadership on male student needs and help shape strategies involving recruitment, retention, and successful matriculation.
The challenge extends beyond individual campuses.
A 2026 report from InsideTrack found that its coaches supported more than 43,800 students across 39 HBCU campuses between fall 2021 and spring 2026. That included 23,886 students who had previously stopped attending college without earning their degrees and 11,815 enrolled students facing barriers to persistence.
InsideTrack said those barriers included financial problems, work and family responsibilities, and difficulty navigating the transition into college. The organization’s model adds coaching alongside existing campus support rather than replacing institutional advisers and relationships.
The enrollment data also comes with an important sign of possible movement. The American Institute for Boys and Men found that Black male HBCU enrollment increased after the sharp pandemic-era decline, with growth between 2020 and 2022 outpacing some other groups. However, the institute reported that the total number of Black men enrolled remained below pre-pandemic levels as of the end of its study period.
That leaves HBCUs facing two connected challenges: convincing more Black men that college belongs in their future and creating environments strong enough to help them finish once they arrive.
The programs at Benedict and Howard suggest that schools increasingly see mentorship, mental health resources, financial navigation, career preparation, and genuine community as parts of the same retention strategy. For campuses confronting decades of declining Black male representation, the measure of success will ultimately extend beyond who enrolls to who stays, graduates, and leaves college positioned to build the future they came there to pursue.
