most of the schools in the area were closed after the american civil war because there was not enough money. dudley was not able to go to school until 1867 (age 8) when a private school opened. dudley was one of the first students to enroll. dudley later went to public schools when they opened in his area, and learned latin. after going to public school, dudley attended the institute for colored youth in philadelphia, pennsylvania. for college dudley attended shaw college in raleigh, north carolina. during his education he focused on learning to become an teacher. in 1880, at age 21, dudley took the north carolina state test needed to become a teacher, and passed. later he attended harvard summer school and gained an master of arts from livingstone college and a doctorate degree from wilberforce university.