In order to better understand diversity on HBCU campuses and broaden the scope of scholarly work on HBCUs, this study attempts to provide a nuanced view of nonblack enrollment at HBCUs from an organizational perspective by pursuing the primary research question: Are there institutional characteristics of HBCUs that influence nonblack enrollment patterns between the years 2000-2010? Perna’s (2006) conceptual model of college choice, specifically the higher education context, and the education production function frameworks serve as lenses through which this issue will be viewed. This investigation uses data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and employs a fixed effects panel data regression analysis to examine enrollment patterns in hopes of better understanding an element of college choice. The findings from this study suggest that institutional characteristics influence nonblack enrollment differently depending on institutional control. For public HBCUs, spending on academic support per FTE student was found to be a strongly positive predictor of nonblack enrollment, whereas graduation rates had statistically significant negative effects on nonblack enrollment at private HBCUs. Consequently, implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.
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