Do Black Lives Really Matter in For-Profit Institutions? A Qualitative Study of the Black Student Experience at For-Profit Colleges and Universities
Open AccessMuch of the research on for-profit institutions provides quantitative analyses at the institutional level on enrollment, graduation, career placement rates and gainful employment, and student loan default rates. However, limited research examines the lived experiences of Black students who attend for-profit colleges and universities. This study examined the ways in which Black students experienced support at for-profit institutions. This basic interpretive qualitative study incorporated semi-structured interviews to learn about the experiences of five former for-profit students. The study explored the Black student experience in order to inform FPCU administrators on how to improve the educational climate for their students. The focus on Black students is due to their disproportionate enrollment in for-profit colleges and universities, which some have labeled “Lower Ed” (Cottom, 2017) and “subprime education” (Braucher, 2012; Lynch et al., 2010; McGuire, 2012).To address the Black experience and give voice to Black students, this study utilized Critical Race Theory to explore their experiences at for-profit institutions and particularly highlights the tenet of interest convergence, given owners and board leadership is largely white. Specifically, this study examined one broad question with five sub-questions: How do Black students in the Mid-Atlantic experience support for their academic and career goals in their for-profit institutions? Subquestion 1: How did Black students describe their enrollment experience? Subquestion 2: How did students describe their experience with academic, financial, and family support? Subquestion 3: How did Black students describe their experience with student engagement? Subquestion 4: How did Black students experience career preparation? Subquestion 5: How did their for-profit institution meet their expectations?This study found that more supports are needed for Black students who attend for-profit institutions. Poor academic quality, instructional design, and online delivery methods contributed to an inadequate educational experience for some participants. Black students experienced a lack of support academically, financially, and career preparation was sub-par for the fields they sought to go into. Their responses demonstrated in some cases that their institutions did not meet their expectations. Higher education research must focus on the impact that for-profit institutions have on Black students to provide an accurate understanding of the outcomes of these institutions.
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