The purpose of this study was to determine whether black students attending predominantly white colleges attributed their academic difficulties to different sources and saw themselves as having a different set of problems than their black counterparts in predominantly black colleges. Subjects were asked to rate possible sources of academic problems on 12 five-point scales. The total of 289 students was divided between 195 black students in four predominantly black universities and 94 black students in five predominantly white liberal arts colleges. There were 98 males and 97 females in the black schools, and 51 males and 43 females in the white schools. Males attending predominantly black colleges were more inclined to attribute their academic difficulties to their own poor study habits and to worry over financial problems, and less likely than those attending predominantly white colleges to blame their difficulties on defects in their schools. Students attending predominantly white colleges were more likely to see competition with other students and inadequate high school preparation as sources of academic difficulties. Female students were inclined to view social and communication problems as contributing most importantly to their academic difficulties, while males more frequently reported being distracted by financial problems or experiencing academic difficulties because of poor study habits. (Author/JM)