The Pursuit of Education : Why First Year Students at Historical Black Institutions Dropped Out of College Their Second Semester after Attending Their First Semester

Research supports the conclusion that an earned college degree enhances ones’ financial earning potential. As vehicles empowered with the ability to positively impact the earning power of African Americans in the United States, it is important that postsecondary HBCUs examine and evaluate the fundamental reasons why its first year Freshman and/or transfer students from two-year community colleges, do not return after their first semester. The purpose of this study is to identify the reasons for the drop-out trend at these institutions with the lowest retention rate and lowest graduation rate and to offer solutions to ameliorate the root causes