Top 10 HBCUs
U.S. News and World ranks the top HBCUs. See who came out on top!
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Intro - Recently, U.S. News & World Report released a ranking of HBCUs based on peer assessment, retention rate, faculty resources, student selectivity (test scores), financial resources and alumni giving rate. Which school came out on top?
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No. 10, Tougaloo College - Mississippi’s Tougaloo College, whose 25 percent student acceptance rate is the lowest out of all the HBCUs listed here, was founded in 1869. The school touts its high selectivity on its Web site – stating “It reserves the right to grant or deny admission based on recommendations from the Admissions Committee” – and has consistently been ranked on top HBCU lists in recent years. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) graduated from Tougaloo in 1969.
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No. 9, Dillard University - Dillard University, located in New Orleans, is a private liberal arts school with an undergraduate enrollment of a little over 1,000. The school was hit hard by flooding during 2005’s Hurricane Katrina storm, but recovered the following year as students were able to return to the campus in the fall of 2006. Dillard boasts a top-notch nursing program and a low (10:1) student to faculty ratio. Singer Robert Flack received an honorary Doctorate degree from Dillard in 2007.
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No. 8, Claflin University - Founded in 1869, Claflin University is South Carolina’s oldest HBCU. Located on a 43-acre campus in Orangeburg, the school has an enrollment of about 1,800 students. Over the past decade, Claflin has consistently been recognized by U.S. News and World as one of the country’s best colleges. Leo Twiggs, the first African American to receive a Doctorate of Arts from the University of Georgia, is one of Claflin’s notable alumni. (Photo: Claflin's Lee library)
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No. 7, Fisk University - Fisk is a private liberal arts institution located in Nashville, Tenn. Founded in 1866, it was the first Black school to get accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1930 and the first to earn a Phi Beta Kappa chapter in 1952. With an enrollment of fewer than 1,000, Fisk has more recently been ranked consistently for its value and education. Notable alumni include poet Nikki Giovanni (1967), scholar W.E.B. DuBois (1888) and former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry (1960).
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No. 6, Xavier University of Louisiana - New Orleans’ Xavier holds the distinction of being the only historically Black Roman Catholic college. The school ranks No. 1 nationwide in the number of African-American students earning undergraduate degrees in biology, chemistry and physics, according to the U.S. Dept. of Education. After 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, the campus was left underwater and many evacuated. But the school quickly recovered, reopening in January of 2006. Current Surgeon General Regina Benjamin (1978) is a notable alum.
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No. 5, Tuskegee University - Tuskegee is a private institution located in Tuskegee, Ala. Established in 1881, Dr. Booker T. Washington served as the school’s first president until 1915. According to its Web site, the school is the No. 1 producer of African-American aerospace science engineers in the nation. Student enrollment is about 2,500 and notable alums include radio host Tom Joyner (1971) and former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (1978).
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No. 4, Hampton University - This university was established as Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in 1868 on the grounds of a former plantation in Hampton, Va. Presently, the school expands across 314 acres and includes 118 buildings, according to its site. Notable alums include comedienne Wanda Sykes (1986).
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No. 3, Morehouse University - Morehouse College, located in Atlanta, Ga., is the only all-male historically Black school in the nation. The school, established in 1867, is one of just two HBCUs in the nation to produce a Rhodes Scholar. Prominent grads include civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1948), filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Samuel L. Jackson.
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No. 2, Howard University - Located in Washington, D.C. (“Chocolate City”) and often referred to as the “Black Mecca” of education, Howard University was established in 1867. The school’s annual Homecoming Celebration is one of Black America’s highly anticipated happenings; last year’s ceremonies drew, in total, more than 100,000 attendees according to its site. Howard also has an impressive list of alums, including former Justice Thurgood Marshall, actresses Taraji P. Henson and Phylicia Rashad, actor Isaiah Washington.