New app connects underprivileged students with recruiters at HBCU Share: The first historically Black colleges and universities were founded prior to the Civil War to provide young Black people, who could not attend established colleges due to racial discrimination, basic education and training. "Had it not been for them, these great, I call them great institutions, honestly, there are thousands and thousands of us would not have gotten an advanced degree," says John Hayes of Pasadena. Hayes also sees a growing problem for HBCUs. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, in 1976, 35% of degrees earned by Black students came from HBCUs. But in 2018, that number had dropped to 13%.