FAMU And N.C. A&T Tied For No. 1 Public HBCUs: 3 Factors For Public HBCUs Having Key Advantages Over Private. Photo Credit:: N.C. A&T University
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) are tied as the No. 1 public HBCUs on U.S. News and World Report’s rankings for historically Black colleges and universities.
The 2021 list includes 79 HBCUs deemed eligible to make the publication’s coveted Best Colleges listings. FAMU and N.C. A&T both come in at No. 7, following six private HBCUs.
While the top six HBCUs are private, there are pros to attending public HBCUs. Here are three factors for public HBCUs having key advantages over private ones.
In most cases, public HBCUs offer in-state students lower-cost tuition and fees. For example for Florida residents, in-state tuition at FAMU is $5,785 annually compared to $17,725 for out-of-state residents. At N.C. A&T, in-state tuition for North Carolina residents is $6,656 annually, while out-of-state students pay $20,167.
This makes a major difference for the majority of HBCU students who come from low-income backgrounds.
According to CBS News, public HBCUs are supposed to receive 1-to-1 matched funding from both federal and state governments, while private HBCUs are ineligible for direct funding from the state. “For example, if Alcorn State University was awarded $50 million in federal aid, then state lawmakers in Mississippi are supposed to chip in $50 million for a total of $100 million to the school,” CBS News’ report states.
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Unfortunately, in practice, many HBCUs have been denied the matching funding they deserve, in some cases to the tune of billions of dollars. However, there is a push by lawmakers and other allies to right this wrong and it looks promising.
Additional funding allows these institutions to offer students more financial aid and work-study opportunities than private universities.
Whether public or private, all HBCUs have faced separate and unequal support when it comes to receiving government funding. Many have been surviving on perseverance and prayers.
However, public HBCUs have been winning legal battles, which signals a change in sentiment. For example, four public HBCUs in Maryland were awarded more than $500 million after a 15-year legal battle.
Tennessee State University is also developing a plan to recoup some of the estimated $544 million the state has denied the institution since the 1950s. State lawmakers and other allies believe Maryland’s HBCU victory will open the door for others to do the same.
“States mimic each other,” Tennessee State Rep. Harold Love told CBS News. He added he believed 2021 “will likely be one of those years that will be known as — among a lot of things — the year of the HBCU.”
