09.12.19

Committee Report Highlights Inequitable Funding for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs

WASHINGTON – A report released this morning by the Committee on Education and Labor highlights the chronic underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The report, titled “Investing in Economic Mobility: The Important Role of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in Closing Racial and Wealth Gaps in Higher Education” pulls together a mountain of evidence showing that greater federal investment in HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs is required to adequately support students’ at these institutions.

“This report lays out the overwhelming evidence that HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs continue to receive inadequate funding, despite their critical role serving students who already face significant barriers in higher education,”said Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Labor. “The findings in this report are a call to action for Congress to strengthen our investment in institutions that offer a quality education and social mobility for historically underserved students. In order to successfully close the college opportunity gap for traditionally underserved students, we must provide these institutions with the resources necessary to help their students succeed.”

The report focuses on the systematic underfunding of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and its impact on students’ education. These institutions provide culturally relevant experiences and comprehensive support programs to ensure student success in their institutions. Despite the high-quality collegiate experience, these institutions receive less state funding and lack alternate funding sources, like endowments and tuition increases, to offset funding cuts. In fact, our nation’s institutions spend $5 billion more each year on white students than students of color.

 To better support HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, the report recommends:

  • Authorizing an innovation fund for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to help invest in solutions that reduce educational costs, improve student achievement, and enhance employment outcomes.
  • Providing grants to cover tuition costs to help reduce student debts, improve completion rates, and ensure better accessibility and success for low-income students and students of color.

To read the full report, please click here.

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