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Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine college choice from the perspective of high-achieving Black students who chose to attend one prestigious historically Black college or university (HBCU) instead of other options. Simply going to college has not resulted in the resolution of the economic disparities between Whites and Blacks (Traub, Sullivan, Meschede, & Shapiro, 2017). It is particularly alarming that the proportion of Black undergraduates earning college degrees has been declining since 2012 (NCES, 2017). Blacks account for less than 12% of all individuals who earn college degrees (ibid). Black males college attainment is consistently among the lowest when compared to all other ethnic groups. Researchers (Harper, 2012) agree that long-standing economic disparities will continue to exist until college and university officials are made aware of successful strategies that have been employed that promote higher educational attainment for Black males in college. The need to understand college choice from the perspective of Black students is all the more pressing, given the well-established link between higher education and upward mobility (Carnevale, 2018). This study explored the college choice experience of high-achieving Black students at one of the most prestigious HBCUs in the United States to illuminate the factors that directly influence college choice decision in the five stages of the college choice process as described by Toutkoushian and Paulsen (2016). Findings from 20 semi-structure interviews with high-achieving students indicate that college choice is influenced by institutional reputation, institutional fit, employment and leadership opportunities, support of family and friends, and affordability. Participants reported that family support, institutional reputation, and the belief that attending an HBCU prepared them to be leaders, were among important motivators in their college choice process. Participants indicated that race was a consideration as they determined whether their final college choice was a good fit for them. Findings in this study support the need for further exploration of how high-achieving Black students make college choice decisions.