Thousands of students from the tri-state area attended the New York Urban League’s 26th annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Fair. Over 50 HBCUs from around the country were represented at the fair this past Saturday at Riverbank State Park.
At the fair, many schools offered application fee waivers, scholarship awards and on-site admissions. The event also hosted college prep and financial aid workshops for students, parents, teachers, counselors and anyone interested in higher education, and participants were treated to a step show.
Colleges and universities represented included Alabama State University, Delaware State University, Lincoln University, Hampton University and Morehouse College.
“I am always inspired by the students who attend the HBCU Fair each year. We are so honored to be able to provide New York City’s students with the opportunity to connect with schools that would otherwise be out of reach. We are committed to providing the leaders of tomorrow with access to quality education,” said Arva Rice, president and CEO of the New York Urban League.
This year NYUL partnered with McDonald’s and Hot 97 (WQHT, 97.1 FM) to make the fair possible. The fair is part of the Malcolm Bernard HBCU College Fair Week, a touring college fair that also makes stops in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The tour makes seven stops with college fairs held at community centers, colleges and high schools.
“Annually, nearly 12,000 students benefit from access to college information that they gain from the more than 40 HBCU campus admissions representatives that participate in our college fairs,” officials from the tour said. “Results show that one-third of the students attending the college fairs are accepted on-site for admission to the colleges, and numerous students are offered potential scholarships.”
Each year various HBCUs that participate in the college tour send representatives from college admissions offices. Some colleges are also represented by local alumni.