Black Men, College, and the Real Enrollment Gap: Analysis of a Tired Narrative

Deep Sigh Yet another one of these click-bait race pieces. 

As a teaching point, this is a great example of "media bias", the tendency of journalists and news organizations to present information in a way that reflects a particular perspective, agenda, or ideology—consciously or unconsciously—rather than providing balanced or neutral reporting. It can influence how events are framed, which facts are highlighted or omitted, and whose voices are amplified or ignored. 

Media bias can significantly influence public opinion by shaping the narrative around current events and issues. It can lead to a divided audience where different groups receive information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs, which in turn can deepen societal polarization.

Overall, while complete objectivity in media is challenging to achieve, awareness of media bias helps audiences critically evaluate the news and seek multiple sources to gain a more balanced understanding of issues.

From an Intelligence perspective, media bias serves as the gateway to propogranda, information—especially of a biased or misleading nature—used to promote or publicize a particular political cause, ideology, or point of view.

Every few years or so, a major publication circles back to a familiar refrain: Black men are falling behind, and the evidence lies in college enrollment. Most recently, the New York Times published a piece titled "Why So Few Black Men Are in College", revisiting the well-worn claim that Black women vastly outnumber Black men on campuses, particularly at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The numbers aren’t new. The concern isn’t new. And unfortunately, the framing isn’t new either.

But what this argument often omits is context: gender gaps exist at every level of higher education. In fact, at most colleges in the U.S. today, women outnumber men—across all races. So why is this story only recycled when it’s about Black people? More specifically, why does this narrative hinge on HBCUs, institutions that represent just a fraction of the total Black college student population?

It matters because the repetition of this one-dimensional narrative subtly reinforces a damaging myth: that Black men are uniquely deficient in ambition or academic capability. It also fails to account for the structural forces at play—particularly class, geography, and the broader crisis of male disengagement from higher education.

Addressing the article itself, without even looking at her bio, I already know that the articles author, Stephanie Saul, did not attend an HBCU. 

The Bigger Picture: Women Outnumber Men Almost Everywhere

Let’s start with the basic fact: at nearly every college and university in the United States, women make up the majority of students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), women have outnumbered men in college enrollment since the late 1970s. Today, they constitute nearly 60% of undergraduate students.

This isn't just a Black issue. It's a national trend. But when the media spotlights this gender imbalance, it often focuses on HBCUs, where the ratio of Black women to Black men can be as high as 2 to 1. That statistic, while accurate, is misleading when isolated. If you're looking to understand the educational crisis facing men—especially working-class men—you have to look beyond HBCUs.

2. Apples to Apples: Class, Not Just Race

A fair and unbiased comparison would control for both race and income level. For example, what are the college enrollment rates for low-income White men versus low-income Black men? That’s the real question—because economics, not simply race, is the key driver of who ends up in college.

White men in rural areas—the demographic at the heart of Donald Trump's political base—also attend college at lower rates. Many are disconnected from both educational and economic opportunity, yet this isn't treated as a moral or cultural failing in the same way it is when discussing Black men. The hypocrisy is glaring.

So when the media wrings its hands about Black male underachievement, while ignoring poor White communities with similar (or worse) metrics, it’s clear that this isn’t just about education. It’s about controlling the narrative around race, responsibility, and social worth.

HBCUs as Scapegoats

HBCUs are frequently used as the primary lens for analyzing Black male college attendance. But these institutions account for only about 10% of Black undergraduates. Moreover, HBCUs often operate with limited resources, smaller endowments, and serve a high percentage of first-generation college students.

The idea that HBCUs are somehow failing Black men is not just misleading—it’s analytically lazy. These schools have long punched above their weight in producing Black professionals and leaders. They deserve better than to be the scapegoat for structural inequalities that they didn’t create and are working overtime to overcome.

What the Media Misses

There’s an assumption baked into stories like the Times piece: that if Black men aren’t in college, it’s because they’re unmotivated or culturally adrift. But that ignores the barriers many face—lack of access to rigorous K-12 education, over-policing, economic instability, and a criminal justice system designed to entrap, not rehabilitate.

I’ve mentored young men who are brilliant but completely disillusioned with the idea of college—not because they don’t value education, but because they can’t see a clear path from debt to prosperity. And that’s not just a Black thing. That’s America.

The Real Conversation We Should Be Having

The real crisis isn’t about Black men versus Black women. It’s about the declining social contract for men across the economic spectrum. The question is not why Black men aren’t enrolling in college in the same numbers—but why working-class men of all races are being priced out, locked out, and left behind.

If we’re going to tell the truth, then let’s tell ALL of it. Let’s look at how automation, deindustrialization, and the collapse of affordable higher education have undercut male participation across the board. Let’s examine how media narratives disproportionately pathologize Black struggle while ignoring systemic failure.

CONCLUSION

The next time someone trots out the statistic that Black women outnumber Black men in college, ask them this: at what college don’t women outnumber men?

Then ask: how do White men from similar income brackets compare?

Then finally, ask: why do we keep turning the camera on HBCUs instead of Wall Street, state legislatures, and the Department of Education? (Well, at least what's left of the Department of Education. See what I did right there...) 

Until we ask better questions, we’ll keep recycling these same bad arguments. The future of higher education—and the young men caught in its crosshairs—deserve more than lazy narratives and clickbait concern. They deserve context, compassion, and commitment.

Call to Action: Stop blaming Black men. Start demanding equitable access. And when it comes to higher ed, let’s compare apples to apples—or stop pretending we care about fruit at all.