Three outcomes of the college experience for black students in U.S. higher education (student academic achievement, student social integration into campus life, and student occupational aspirations) are discussed with a theoretical emphasis on connections between institutional and individual characteristics in the explanation of student outcomes. Data were drawn from a national sample of black students currently enrolled in selected black and white, state-supported universities. This study uses the interactionist perspective and draws from the social structure and personality perspective. Evidence suggests that black students on black campuses are more disadvantaged in socioeconomic and academic terms than are black (or white) students on white campuses, but students on black campuses display more positive psychosocial adjustments, great academic gains, and greater cultural awareness/commitment. Central in the determination of how individual and institutional characteristics influence black student experiences in higher education are students' interpersonal relationships which form the bridge between individual dispositions and institutional tendencies. The student's academic performance will be affected by the quality of life at the institution, the level of academic completion, university rules/procedures, relationships with faculty, and friend-support networks. Tables are included. Contains 37 references. (SM)