Black Women’s Experiences Financing Their College Education

Denise A. Smith; Tiara Moultrie

Black women who choose to pursue higher education are more likely to rely on financial aid to attend, due to multiple factors. For example, the racial wealth gap as well as the gender pay gap both have a tremendous impact on Black women—particularly those who must work part-time and full-time jobs to afford their college tuition. Additionally, while pursuing a degree, some Black women must juggle employment responsibilities, alongside serving as caregivers, in addition to prioritizing their academic work. All of these factors lead Black women to being more reliant on financial aid to enroll in college—and therefore, on average, to carrying the largest debt burden of any demographic group of students.