How Well Do For-Profit Colleges Serve Black Students?
Sara Weissman
March 5, 2026
These colleges enroll higher shares of Black students compared to other institutions, and larger percentages of those students take on debt, according to a new report.
Black students are overrepresented at for-profit colleges and take out loans to attend these institutions at higher rates, according to a new report by the Institute for College Access & Success.
The report, released today, draws on data from the U.S. Department of Education to flesh out trends in for-profit college enrollments and student borrowing. It also references qualitative interviews with a dozen Black alumni of for-profit colleges to better understand how some students perceive their programs. The focus group included six undergraduates and six graduate students.
“We wanted to know more about what made them choose to attend a for-profit college over other options, whether or not they found their programs affordable, and whether or not they were ultimately satisfied with the educational experiences they received,” said Lydia Franz, senior policy associate for accountability at TICAS and lead author of the report.
