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Unweighted GPA: 3.7
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200
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What is an HBCU? A Complete List of Schools

What’s Covered:

 

In the wake of the Civil War, African-American students had few opportunities when it came to pursuing an education. With many colleges and universities denying admission to persons of color, the government passed the second Morrill Act of 1890, which mandated that states offer land grants to academic institutions serving African Americans. The result was the creation of HBCUs, or historically Black colleges and universities. According to President George Bush, these institutions “offered the best, and often the only, opportunity for a higher education” to persons of color.

 

Which Schools Are Considered HBCUs?

 

Once the primary educational facilities of African Americans—including newly freed slaves after the Civil War—the term HBCU now refers to any historically Black institution established prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when school segregation became illegal. According to the Higher Education Act of 1965, an HBCU must be accredited by a nationally recognized agency and dedicated to the education of Black Americans. 

 

Today, 9% of all African-American college students attend HBCUs. Those HBCUs confer 17% percent of all bachelor’s degrees and 24% of all STEM-related bachelor’s degrees earned by Black students. The mean mobility rate (the percentage of students with parents in the bottom 20% of income distribution who reach the top 20%) at HBCUs is 3%—nearly double that of all U.S. colleges.

 

HBCUs are not just for Black students. They accept students of all races and ethnicities; in fact, 25% of students who attend HBCUs are non-Black. While HBCUs offer exceptional academic opportunities for students of all races, research shows that they provide particular benefits for students of color. Consider that according to the website Niche:

 

  • 75% percent of Black people with doctorate degrees earned their undergraduate degree from an HBCU
  • 75% of Black officers in the armed forces earned their undergraduate degree from an HBCU
  • 80% of Black federal judges earned their undergraduate degree from an HBCU
  • 50% of Black faculty at traditionally white research universities received their degrees from an HBCU

 

HBCUs also play an important role in the education of low-income students. About 70% of HBCU students receive Pell Grants—a need-based grant for low-income college students that doesn’t require repayment—compared to just 32% of students at non-HBCUs. Or, consider that according to the Century Foundation, 45% of students at Spelman University are from low-income families while nearby Emory University has a low-income enrollment of just 21%. Similarly, the low-income enrollment at Howard University is nearly 50% while a few miles away Georgetown has a low-income enrollment of just 14%.

 

College

State

Acceptance Rate

Alabama A&M | AAMU

AL

72%

Alabama State University

AL

98%

Bishop State Community College

AL

N/A

C.A. Fredd Campus of Shelton State Community College

AL

N/A

Gadsden State Community College

AL

N/A

F. Drake Technical College

AL

N/A

Lawson State Community College

AL

N/A

Miles College

AL 

N/A

Oakwood College

AL

N/A

Selma University

AL

N/A

Stillman College

AL

76%

Talladega College

AL

N/A

Trenholm State Technical College

AL

N/A

Tuskegee University

AL

34%

Arkansas Baptist College

AR

N/A

Philander Smith College

AR

N/A

Shorter College

AR

N/A

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

AR

68%

Delaware State University

DE

59%

Bethune-Cookman University

FL

100%

Edward Waters College

FL

80%

Florida A&M University | FAMU

FL

35%

Florida Memorial University

FL 

57%

Albany State University

GA

73%

Clark Atlanta University

GA

58%

Fort Valley State University

GA

72%

Interdenominational Theological Center

GA

N/A

Morehouse College

GA

65%

Morehouse School of Medicine

GA

N/A

Morris Brown College

GA

N/A

Paine College

GA

52%

Savannah State University

GA

46%

Spelman College

GA

51%

Kentucky State University

KY

65%

Dillard University

LA

56%

Grambling State University

LA

72%

Southern University and A&M College

LA

N/A

Southern University at New Orleans

LA

79%

Southern University at Shreveport

LA

N/A

Xavier University of Louisiana

LA

95%

Bowie State University

MD

87%

Coppin State University

MD

48%

Morgan State University

MD

87%

University of Maryland Eastern Shore | UMES

MD

85%

Harris-Stowe State University

MO

N/A

Lincoln University (Missouri)

MO

N/A

Alcorn State University

MS

39%

Coahoma Community College

MS

N/A

Hinds Community College

MS

N/A

Jackson State University | JSU

MS

62%

Mississippi Valley State University

MS

79%

Rust College

MS

38%

Tougaloo College

MS

56%

Barber-Scotia College

NC

N/A

Bennett College

NC

79%

Elizabeth City State University

NC

77%

Fayetteville State University | FSU

NC

82%

Johnson C. Smith University

NC

84%

Livingstone College

NC

51%

North Carolina A&T State University | N.C. A&T

NC

57%

North Carolina Central University | NCCU

NC

76%

Shaw University

NC

65%

St. Augustine’s College

NC

N/A

Winston-Salem State University

NC

81%

Central State University

OH

59%

Wilberforce University

OH

39%

Langston University

OK

N/A

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

PA

N/A

Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)

PA

80%

Allen University

SC

57%

Benedict College

SC

86%

Claflin University

SC

62%

Clinton Junior College

SC

N/A

Denmark Technical College

SC

N/A

Morris College

SC

N/A

South Carolina State University

SC

88%

Voorhees College

SC

N/A

American Baptist College

TN

N/A

Fisk University 

TN 

61%

Knoxville College

TN

N/A

Lane College

TN

N/A

LeMoyne-Owen College

TN

N/A

Meharry Medical College

TN

N/A

Tennessee State University | TSU

TN

N/A

Huston-Tillotson University

TX

50%

Jarvis Christian College

TX

N/A

Paul Quinn College

TX

87%

Prairie View A&M University | PVAMU

TX

77%

Saint Philip’s College

TX

N/A

Southwestern Christian College

TX

N/A

Texas College

TX

N/A

Texas Southern University | TSU

TX

63%

Wiley College

TX

N/A

University of the Virgin Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands 

N/A

Hampton University

VA

80%

Norfolk State University

VA

89%

Virginia State University

VA

96%

Virginia Union University

VA

94%

Virginia University of Lynchburg

VA

N/A

Howard University

Washington, D.C.

35%

University of the District of Columbia

Washington, D.C.

N/A

Bluefield State College

WV

97%

West Virginia State University

WV

97%

 

How to Apply to an HBCU

 

The process for applying to an HBCU is largely the same as it is for other schools. However, some HBCUs don’t accept the Common Application. The Common Black College Application (CBCA) is a good choice for students planning on applying to an HBCU—it is accepted at 66 HBCUs and allows students to apply to any number of member institutions for a one-time fee of $20.

 

Below are instructions on how to apply to an HBCU using the CBCA.

 

1. Complete the CBCA

 

The first step in applying to an HBCU using the CBCA is to complete the application. To do so, register for an account on the Common Black College Application’s website, complete the application, and pay the $20 fee. Similar to other college applications, the CBCA will ask for general biographical information about the student as well as information about their academic performance, extracurricular activities, and details of any awards or achievements.

 

Students are tasked with selecting their top four institutions as part of the CBCA. These are the four schools that they want to attend the most. While students can apply to any number of institutions using the CBCA, some member institutions will only process a student’s application if they were listed as one of the student’s top four choices.

 

Students are encouraged to build a balanced list of schools they hope to attend. A balanced list includes reach, target, and safety schools. CollegeVine can help students build college lists strategically. Our free chancing engine uses factors like grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities to estimate their odds of admission at more than 1,600 schools nationwide, including HBCUs. This information is extremely valuable when building strategic college lists.

 

2. Counselor Account

 

Upon completion of the CBCA, students are asked to submit the name and contact information of their school counselor. Their counselor is then contacted and instructed to establish an account through which they can upload a student’s official transcript and test scores.

 

3. Send Essays and Recommendations to Schools

 

The CBCA makes an applicant’s information available to all 66 member institutions. Students interested in applying to schools outside of their top four choices should reach out to those institutions directly to express their interest.

 

Students must also send any required essays and recommendations directly to the schools they’re applying to. Students are encouraged to visit a school’s website to find their essay topic. A strong essay is a surefire method for giving your admission odds a boost, and essays that clearly explain a student’s interest in attending an HBCU are sure to get noticed.

 

Some colleges may also require students to provide additional information about themselves through the school’s own platform or portal.

 


Short Bio
A graduate of Northeastern University with a degree in English, Tim Peck currently lives in Concord, New Hampshire, where he balances a freelance writing career with the needs of his two Australian Shepherds to play outside.