technology, engineering, and mathematics bachelor’s degrees awarded to African Americans. (9) According to TMCF, approximately 9 percent of all African American college students attend HBCUs. (10) According to UNCF, African American graduates of HBCUs are almost twice as likely as African Americans who graduated from other institutions to report that their university prepared them well for life. (b) Purposes The purposes of this Act are— (1) to strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of HBCUs to fulfill their principal mission of equalizing educational opportunity, as described in section 301(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1051(b) )