Timothy Peck February 11, 2026 5 11th Grade, 12th Grade, College Lists

What is an HBCU? A Complete List of Schools

What’s Covered:

• Which Schools Are Considered HBCUs?
• How to Apply to a HBCU

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, 24% 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%.

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 more than 60 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 1,000 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 its 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.