Prestige Among Black Colleges: Examining the Predictors of HBCU Peer Academic Reputation

Abstract

This study uses hierarchical multivariate regression to examine whether traditional measures of college and university performance are salient predictors of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) US News and World Reports peer reputation scores when HBCUs are rated exclusively by HBCU administrators. Due in large part to their unique history and mission, HBCUs often underperform in relation to non-HBCUs on traditional performance measures such as selectivity, graduation rates, and institutional wealth. By using these markers as the primary means for determining the effectiveness of colleges and universities, it has been argued that the larger higher education community unfairly mischaracterizes HBCUs as lower quality institutions. This has led many in the HBCU community to call for a rejection of these traditional standards of assessing institutional quality. The findings of this study, however, suggest that HBCU administrators rely heavily on these traditional measures when asked to assess the quality of other HBCUs. The potential implications of this are discussed.