Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute | UNCF

Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute

The Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, FDPRI, is the nation’s foremost research organization focusing on the educational status of African Americans from pre-school to and through college.

Committed to understanding and expanding the pathways that lead to educational attainment, FDPRI conducts and disseminates research that informs policymakers, educators, philanthropists and the general public on how to best improve educational opportunities for and outcomes of African Americans and other underrepresented minorities across the pre-school-through-college-graduation pipeline.

Call for Proposals

The Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute Research Symposium “One Mission. One Voice.”

FDPRI invites proposals for the Research Symposium on July 12-13, 2020. The purpose of the one-day pre-convening is to facilitate the delivery of research, knowledge and best practices from academics and experts in higher education. Specifically, we want to highlight the voices of HBCU scholars and advocates. This year’s theme for HBCU Converge is “One Mission. One Voice.” Our theme illuminates the commonalities and united purpose of HBCUs. It also highlights how different functional areas across an institution work toward the same goal of higher education access and the generational success of its students. We encourage proposals which present the following sub-focus:

  • cross-institutional/organizational collaboration
  • workforce intersections
  • issues of marginalization and inclusion with deep considerations of how representation and hierarchies of privilege (e.g., race, social class, ability, assigned sex, gender identity and expression, sexuality, religion

Click here to download full details.

Submit All Proposal Materials to CAREER.PATHWAYS@UNCF.ORG  by Friday, March 6, 2020

Just released: Fewer Resources, More Debt: Loan Debt Burdens Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(click images to view report and infographic)

Our Research and Reports

How UNCF Makes a Difference

Each year UNCF awards over 10,000 scholarships, fellowships and internships through 400 programs. Read our biennial report.

A History of Accomplishments

Since its inception in 1996, FDPRI has made great strides in the development of research on African Americans in education.

FDPRI: Who We Are

FDPRI research has one goal: helping more African American and other underrepresented minority students get to and through college.
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Whom Do You Trust When it Comes to Your Child’s Education?

When we asked low-income African American parents whose judgment they most respected on matters relating to their children's education, they did not cite authorities or experts. They cited other, more knowledgeable parents.

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Our Member Colleges are Affordable

UNCF HBCUs in a High-Priced College Environment

UNCF-member colleges lead the way in helping to ensure that low-income students are not priced out of an essential education in today’s economy. The FDPRI report, Lower Costs, Higher Returns, reinforces what the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) community has long known: the 37 UNCF-member institutions continue to offer a reasonably priced education, one that in the 2012-2013 academic year cost 26 percent less than that offered by peer institutions.

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Make an Investment in Education

Help move students to and through college by investing in UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, a go-to source of information on the African American educational experience, HBCUs and their value proposition.

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