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Abstract
Of all college students, four percent are African American males of which one third graduate within six years. The status of African-American males in higher education serves as an impetus for research to investigate their collegiate experiences and factors that facilitate retention and persistence compared to other undergraduates. Although research indicates that academic advising is related to student success, there is a gap in scholarly literature devoted to its possible impact on the African American male. The research addressed the following questions: 1) To what extent are perceptions of undergraduate academic advising experiences similar for African American males and other undergraduates? 2) To what extent are perceptions of satisfaction with undergraduate academic advising similar for African American males and other students? A mixed-method approach included Two-Way ANOVAS to evaluate student ratings on the Academic Advising Inventory and themes/patterns from personal interviews were analyzed and synthesized. Student experiences and satisfaction with advising were also examined through the theoretical frameworks of Critical Race, Black Identity Development, Sense of Belonging and Person-Environment Fit. Information gleaned from such research informs diversity training for academic advisors and assist professionals in the psycho-social and academic progression of African American males in college.