African-American students who feel like they're the only person, or one of the few people, who are of their race in their school may feel a sense of isolation. This isolation or alienation may increase the chances that they will quit school. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 20 percent of African-American college students attend a campus in which at least half of their fellow students are black.
Historically black Colleges and Universities try to combat this by providing environments in which African-Americans are -- at least traditionally -- in the majority. Also, many colleges and universities have student-led clubs, organizations or multicultural fraternities that help African-American students mingle with each other.
If an African-American student came from a high school that failed to adequately prepare him for the rigors of a college education, that student might feel overwhelmed by the pace and workload of classes. This could lead to the student either failing or choosing to drop out.
Some colleges and universities try to address this by sponsoring academic cohorts aimed at students of color. The Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program (MASP) at the University of Colorado-Boulder offers an intensive, free, five-week summer education program for minority students. This takes place prior to the students' freshman year and is designed to academically prepare the incoming freshman.
African-American students may also grow discouraged as the result of a lack of role models on their campus. If most of their professors or teachers do not look like them and cannot relate to their life experiences -- and if the only people who do look like them hold low-wage positions -- it can influence the students' self-esteem and their belief in their ability to graduate.
The lack of mentoring college freshmen also contributes to the retention of African-American students by increasing the feelings of social isolation and reinforcing the sense that they lack role models. Colleges and universities that have programs pairing African-American seniors and juniors in mentoring relationships with African-American freshmen and sophomores have seen higher rates of student retention, according to an article in the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.