According to the Higher Education Act of 1965, historically Black colleges and universities are any nationally accredited scholastic institution in the United States established before 1964 with the primary goal to serve and educate the Black community. There are 103 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the United States both public and private, some with religious affiliations, and a large range of majors.
HBCUs are the most misperceived and disregarded institutions by students of all races, but these schools are places with huge historic contexts, an enormous amount of cultural pride, and of educational promise.
In recent years, lack of funding and disinterest by upcoming college students has somewhat deteriorated certain campuses. Diane Cole wrote for U.S. News & World Report that the biggest problem besides most HBCUs facing the challenges that small colleges all across America face, are dismal graduation rates because of the enormous amount of students from low-income families dropping out because they don’t have the money to continue their education.
But there are several HBCUs that have continuously been held in the utmost prestige by providing outstanding academic opportunities to students. Morehouse, Howard, Spelman, and Xavier are among the top historically black colleges, each of them ranked highest on the list of colleges and universities where African American students are most likely to succeed composed by Black Enterprise magazine.
Morehouse College is the alma mater of the great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. along with several other respectable men. Black Enterprise Magazine ranked Morehouse as the best school for Black undergraduates to study, The Wall Street Journal placed them on their list of the top 50 elite graduate programs, and in 2007 Newsweek named Morehouse College as one of the 25 Hottest Schools in America and the hottest men’s college. This all men’s institution harbors the best and brightest Black American men with 66% of their student body having obtained a 3.0 or higher in high school. Morehouse calls upon strong male students to become a part of history, redefining themselves by walking in the footsteps of so many other outstanding contributors to society.
Morehouse College is a member of the Atlanta University Center, which allows students from several campuses to interact with shared facilities, resources, and activities, including taking courses at the other undergraduate schools. The campus includes The Leadership Center, which was created to reflect the ideals of leadership of former distinguished alumni.
Along with Morehouse, Spelman College is one of the 6 colleges in the Atlanta University Center. Spelman proclaims to be an outstanding historically Black college for women that “promotes academic excellence in the liberal arts, and develops the intellectual, ethical, leadership potential of its students” and empowers “the total person who appreciates the many cultures of the world and commits to positive social change.” According to Black Excel, Spelman attracts the most gifted female students. A 2.5 GPA is the minimum for acceptance, but 60% of the 1st year students had a 3.5 or higher in high school. The most selective HBCU, Spelman only admits 35% of its applicants.
Howard University in Washington, D.C. has the most racially diverse student body with only 68.7% of the population of almost 7,000, identifying as black and the remainder of the population 31.3% identifying as non-black. In the past, Howard has been called the “Black Harvard”, preparing an impressive number of students about 65% of graduates to business, law, medical, and other professional and graduate schools.
Howard has one of the oldest and most notarized dental programs in the United States that ensure graduates be knowledgeable about the interrelationship of oral and systemic health and have gained extensive clinical experience. All in all, Howard is one of the top private universities in the country making sure that students of all different backgrounds compile an extensive amount of knowledge that will make them valued assets in their professional field.
The only HBCU with Roman Catholic affiliation, Xavier University in Louisiana also has a diverse student body with a significant amount of Asian, White, and Hispanic students. Most prestigious for health-related programs and Black Excel called it a model program of support that should be emulated by other universities because of its outstanding academic and career counseling, and career placement programs.
Xavier continually ranks first in the nation in placing Black American students in medical school, is among the top three schools in the nation in graduating Black Americans with Pharm. D. degrees, and has one of the two pharmacy schools in Louisiana.
Historically black colleges are some of the most excellent academic institutions in the United States educating the most gifted minority students with well-trained faculty. High retention, low student to teacher ratios, and emphasis on educational progress are just some of the ways HBCUs stand out compared to other universities. Historically black colleges and universities take pride in their impressive historical background and encourage extraordinary academic achievement and leadership in their students in order to continually serve and educate the African American community.
Cole, Diane. “Black Colleges Aim to Build a New History.” 21 Aug 2008. U.S. News & World Report. .
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