Hi I am an international student (Asian) searching for colleges. I run into Howard University and find it suitable for my reach or safe school. But will my chance of getting accepted to a black college reduce because I am Asian? Do they accept only Black students?
Yes you can apply and be accepted to Howard. Howard does not only accept Black students. Here is some recent data.
Ethnicity of Students from U.S.
2.0% American Indian/Alaskan Native
1.4% Asian
94.2% Black/African-American
0.5% Hispanic/Latino
0.0% Multi-race (not Hispanic/Latino)
0.4% Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
1.5% White
0.0% Unknown
International Students 3.5% from 41 countries
Howard has attracted international students from Asia (specifically Nepal) with its scholarships:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/howard-us-kathmandu-connection-nepal-emerges-as-top-source-of-foreign-students/2014/08/27/4cd70376-2a20-11e4-958c-268a320a60ce_story.html
Here are some of its scholarships (ask about international student eligibility):
http://www.howard.edu/financialaid/grants_scholarships.htm#Freshman
Ethnicity is not considered for admission to Howard:
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1024
Wow that is a terrific article with a shoutout to College Confidential. If you qualify for one of the very generous scholarships be sure to apply early on as they are advertised as first come first served. Howard has a full offering of majors and professional programs and being in DC would be a fantastic location in our capitol with access to museums and important American and world events. Sure it seems a bit unusual to attend a HBCU but in the end it is really a typical college.
Thanks a lot! After perusing Howard website I found that this school offers a lot of scholarships and majors as well. The only thing that deters me to apply is that the International students percent is only 3.5% as you have mentioned…
Yes it seems a bit unusual to attend a HBCU but Howard sounds great!
What is your intended major and what other schools are you applying to?
Of course you can apply to and attend Howard, and no, your chances won’t go down because you’re Asian. In fact, many HBCUs are doing outreach to increase the diversity of their student bodies somewhat.
The international student percentage might be a bit low, but it’s also located in DC, which is a multicultural city full of many immigrants. There’ll be chances to meet other international students from universities across DC, if you want. Secondly, Howard (like many HBCUs) is a cultural hotbed that deeply explores issues of culture and place as part of the educational experience.
I am interested in 2 majors: international business and journalism. I am still searching for colleges but so far I have put these following schools in my list: UC Berkley, Washington and Lee college, American University and Howard university. I got a 2030 June SAT and intend to improve it on the next test in October. Do you have any suggestions?
That is a good SAT. Do you know that Berkeley will cost 55,000 per year?
Before we suggest we need to know your cost parameters.
I have updated my list:
Dream school: Tulane University and Washington and Lee university
Reach: Louisiana State University
Safe: Howard University
Hmm it hasn’t been completed yet. My family can contribute no more than 10 000/year. 10 000 USD is really a great deal in my home country. I know this is really a risk because of my tiny contribution but I still take it. Can you suggest some generous colleges that are suitable for me?
For a non-white non-black person, is attending an HBCU any more unusual than an HWCU?
I still think it is unusual and may bring a huge culture shock…
My academic performance:
GPA: 3.6/4.0
Class rank: 8/46
Class vice president
Certificate of Honor for a city essay contest
Extracurricular activities:
- 6 months teaching in the orphanage (member)
- 2 years joining an organization that resocializes HIV-positive children (member)
- 1 year in the PR Team of another volunteer organization specialized in bringing Art to children(member)
- Co-founder and leader of a project helping secondary students in a remote area. (have already raised 500 USD)
- Cultural and Science Exchange Program (representative chosen by high school president)
Any suggestions? Thanks a lot ^^
If you are an international student from Asia, wouldn’t the demographics and social scene of any US university (including Tulane, W&L, and LSU) seem unusual and potentially be a huge culture shock?
W&L would likely be a bigger culture shock than Howard. It’s in the Deep South with historic ties to slavery and rampant racism. The school is named after the General who lead the Confederacy in the fight for slavery and their revolt against the US.
Not if you consider yourself (subconsciously) as white. I remember many years ago, while working for a well know high tech R&D outfit, about 100 employees were sent to a “intense” 5-day diversity training, run by an outside consulting firm. The person leading a section of the course, divided the group into a “black” and a “white” group. One of the employee, a male from one of the North African Countries (Algeria or Tunisia) was placed into the black group, along with a few other employees who were born in India. This employee refused to be placed in the black group because in his mind, he was not black and deserve to be place in the white group. There was a standoff for close to 30-45 minutes, as this employee would not join the black group for the exercise. The african american moderator finally relented and allow the employee to join the white group. The irony of the whole situation is that this gentleman was of much darker hue than most of the black participants.
Like you, I don’t understand the “culture shock” comment as it relates to Howard versus any of the other Universities on the OP’s list.
W&L’s location in Lexington, VA is not what most would consider “Deep” South, although it does have a very conservative white southern reputation that might be a culture shock to some (including some Americans). Last year, it had its own CSA flag controversy: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/09/washington-and-lee-moves-confederate-flags-apologizes-having-owned-slaves .
How to consider yourself as White subconsciously while you’re 100% Asian…?
What I meant is that attending a school of nearly 100% Black is somehow more challenging than attending one with a diverse student ethnicity.
Anyway, could you guys suggest me some suitable school (my CV is above)?
Thank you very much
The three non historically black schools you list seem like odd choices in this context, especially W&L, since they are less ethnically diverse than many others in the US. W&L students are 86% white, with under 4% of each other racial/ethnic group.
Oh I didn’t know that. What are some diverse schools in the US, schools that usually accept and give F.A to international student? Thanks
Bates College — need-aware
Brown University — need-aware
California Institute of Technology — need-aware
Colgate University — need-aware
Columbia University — need-aware
Dartmouth College — need-blind
Hamilton College — need-aware
Harvard University — need-blind
Haverford College — need-aware
MIT — need-blind
Occidental College — need-aware
Pomona College — need-aware
Princeton University — need-blind
Smith College – need-aware
Swarthmore College — need-aware
University of Chicago — need-aware
University of Pennsylvania — need-blind in Mexico and Canada, need-aware elsewhere
University of Richmond — need-aware
Vassar College — need-aware
Wellesley College — need-aware
Williams College — need-aware
Yale University — need-blind