Did You Know?

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.” HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents.
- HBCUs represent less than 3% of colleges and universities in the United States
- HBCUs enroll 12% of all African-American students
- HBCUs produce 23% of all African-American graduates
- HBCUs confer 40% of all STEM degrees and 60% of all engineering degrees for African-American students
- HBCUs educate 50% of African American teachers and 40% of African American health professionals
- 70 percent of African American dentists and physicians earned degrees at HBCUs.
- 58% of HBCUs offer students the opportunity to study abroad.
- In 2000, Xavier University in New Orleans individually produced more successful African American medical school applicants (94) than Johns Hopkins (20), Harvard (37), and The University of Maryland (24) combined.
- HBCUs significantly contribute to the creation of African American science degree holders: agriculture (51.6 percent), biology (42.2 percent),computer science (35 percent), physical science (43 percent), and social science (23.2 percent).
- HBCUs produce 44 percent of all African American bachelor’s degrees awarded for communications technology, 33 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded for engineering technology, and 43 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded for mathematics.
HBCUs have 1/8 of the average size of endowments than historically white colleges and universities. Against these odds, HBCUs historicallyhave provided an affordable education to millions of students of color, graduating the majority of America’s African American teachers, doctors, judges, engineers, and other scientific and technological professionals. - The Honda Battle of the Bands (hosted in Atlanta, Georgia) was created to celebrate, support and recognize the excellence of Black college marching bands and the unique academic experience offered by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Honda annually awards more than $200,000 in grants to participating marching bands during the program period.
Iconic individuals such as:
Martin Luther King Jr. | Morehouse College |
Thurgood Marshall | Lincoln University |
Toni Morrison | Howard University |
Jesse Jackson | North Carolina A&T State University |
Langston Hughes | Lincoln University |
Booker T. Washington | Hampton University |
W.E.B. DuBois | Fisk University |
Ralph Ellison | Tuskegee University |
Most recent alumni that have graduated from these esteemed universities include:
Oprah Winfrey | Tennessee State University |
Taraji P. Henson | Howard University |
Alice Walker | Spelman College |
Spike Lee | Morehouse College |
Additional HBCU Alumni
Omari Boyd | Tennesse State University |
Angelita Blackshear Dalton | Lane College |
James C. Dalton | North Carolina A&T State University |
Julian Earls | Norfolk State University |
Shannon Faulk | Clark Atlanta University |
Damien Hooper-Campbell | Morehouse College |
Kristi Jones | North Carolina Central University |
Sharma D. Lewis | Interdenominational Theological Seminary (Gammon Theological) |
Chandra Minor | Alcorn State University/ Howard University School of Dentistry |
Bettie Parker | Elizabeth City State University |
Khallid Shabazz | Jarvis Christian College |
Isabel Wilkerson | Howard University |
Beah Richards | Dillard University |
Lionel Richie | Tuskegee University |
Mo'Nique | Morgan State University |
Michael Clarke Duncan | Alcorn State University |
Jennifer Hudson | Langston University |
Ruth E. Carter | Hampton University |
Common | Florida A&M University |
2 Chainz | Alabama State University, Virginia State University |
Guru | Morehouse College |
David Banner | Southern University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore |
Wale | Virginia State & Bowie State University |
E-40 | Grambling State University |
Don Cannon | Clark Atlanta University |
Sean Combs | Howard University |
DAS EFX | Virginia State University |
Shirley Franklin, Atlanta | Howard University |
Edna Jackson, Savannah | Savannah State University |
Yvonne Jeffries Johnson, Greensboro, NC | Bennett College, Howard University, North Carolin A&T |
Heather McTeer Toney, Greenville, MS | Spelman College |
Sharon Pratt , Washington, DC | Howard University |
Catherine Pugh, Baltimore | Morgan State University |
Carrie Saxon Perry, Hartford, CT | Howard University |
Lottie Shackelford, Little Rock | Philander Smith College |
Karen Weaver | Tougaloo College |
Beth Brown | Howard University |
Christine Darden | Hampton University, Virginia State University |
Aprille Ericsson | Howard University |
Etta Zuber Falconer | Fisk University, Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) |
Jedidah Isler | Norfolk State University, Fisk University |
Reatha Clark King | Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) |
Joan Murrell Owens | Fisk University |
Valerie Thomas | Morgan State University |
Lou Brock | Southern University |
Andre Dawson | Florida A&M University |
Larry Doby | Virginia Union University |
Rickie Weeks, Jr. | Southern University |
Earl Battey | Bethune Cookman University |
Joe Black | Morgan State University |
Tommie Agee | Grambling State University |
Tom Alston | North Carolina A&T State University |
Angela Brown | Oakwood University |
Mattiwilda Dobbs | Spelman College |
Lillian Evanti | University of the District of Columbia, Howard University |
Kisma Jordan | Kentucky State University |
Brian K. Major | Morehouse College |
Robert McFerrin, Sr. | Fisk University |
Jessye Norman | Howard University |
Leontyne Price | Central State University (Wilberforce University) |
Dara Rahming | Xavier University |
Faye Robinson | Bennett College |
Kevin Short | Morgan State University |
Camilla Ella Williams | Virginia State University |
Lucille Clifton | Howard University |
Eartha Dunston | Alabama State University |
Varnette Honeywood | Spelman College |
Eloise Greenfield | University of the District of Columbia |
Julius Lester | Fisk University |
John Lewis | American Baptist College, Fisk University |
Patricia & Fred McKissack | Tennessee State University |
Sheyann Webb Christburg | Tuskegee University |