ATLANTA

Historically Black colleges and universities, which for decades have been educating students who can't afford to go — or can't imagine going — elsewhere, have been particularly challenged by the nation’s economic meltdown.

Enrollments at the schools have declined, and at the same time endowments have dropped and fundraising sources have dried up. The same is true at most universities, but often students at HBCUs need more aid to stay on course.

"What's most difficult for our institutions is that they are tuition-driven," said Dr. Michael Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund. "They don't have large endowments, and even the ones who do, have seen a large reduction in the value of those endowments."

Most colleges are dealing with economic problems. One recently released survey on 791 American public and private colleges reported that endowments fell 3 percent in the fiscal year ending June 30, and a smaller group estimated a 23 percent drop in the first five months of fiscal year 2009, which began in July. The numbers represent a decline nearly double that of any full-year return since such figures were first tracked in 1974.

Only three Black colleges — Howard University in Washington, D.C., Spelman College in Atlanta and Hampton University in Virginia — had endowments among the top 300 included in the survey. Most lack the resources and strength in alumni giving of their mainstream counterparts.

Most students at the colleges combine grants and loans to fund their educations, Lomax said. Just a small percentage get help from their parents, and others work retail or fast food jobs to make tuition.

An Associated Press analysis showed that 62 percent of students at 83 four-year HBCUs receive Pell Grants. More than 90 percent of those recipients come from families earning less than $40,000 a year.

Lomax expects HBCUs to survive, but they may have to make some painful choices to do it.