Historically Black Colleges and Universities are gearing up for an increase in applicants following a U.S. Supreme Court decision barring schools from using race as a factor in admissions.
While the ruling says schools can consider an applicant’s individual life experience — which may pertain to race — the change could lead to fewer Black students at the country’s most-selective universities as hundreds of schools revamp their admissions policies.
“There is a likelihood of a shift in underrepresented students looking to go where they feel welcome,” said Emily Wadhwani, a senior director at Fitch Ratings Inc.
President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd at the Atlanta University Center Consortium, part of both Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University, on Jan. 11, 2022, in Atlanta.
Megan Varner, Getty Images via Tribune News Service
But any influx of applicants at historically Black institutions could be problematic for a cohort that is already underfunded and short on resources. Even before the court’s decision, HBCUs, which were founded to educate Black people but are now open to all races, started to see heightened interest resulting from George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police in May 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“For many HBCUs like Spelman, applications have been increasing,” said Helene Gayle, president of the historically Black women’s college in Atlanta. “So we expect that trend will probably accelerate as a result of this decision.”
The total number of applicants at 35 HBCUs more than doubled in the past 20 years, rising to nearly 233,500 in 2021, according to National Center for Education Statistics data.
As schools receive more applications, some have expanded their student bodies. With more than 9,000 students, Morgan State University saw record enrollment in fall 2022. The Baltimore, Maryland, school is expecting that demand to continue. For this fall, Morgan State received about 25,000 applications.
Similarly, Morehouse College in Atlanta, which has about 2,200 students enrolled, is anticipating a 50% to 100% increase in applicants over the next three years.
“In the current frame of resources that we have available to us, we could not absorb that kind of increase and continue to provide the quality of education that Morehouse guarantees its applicants unless we had a significant infusion of resources from a combination of philanthropist, corporations and the government,” Morehouse President David Thomas said.
Morgan State President David Wilson advocates for more federal funding to be allocated to HBCUs as those institutions become “the models of diversity in American higher education.”
The record $2.7 billion of federal funds that the American Rescue Plan Act injected into HBCUs during the pandemic was a rare investment. Less than 1% of federal research and development grants are awarded to HBCUs, the Brookings Institution recently wrote.
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South Carolina State University, which saw nearly 15,000 in applications for the upcoming school year, has asked the state for about $200 million to help with campus improvements. So far this year it has received nearly $55 million.
The Supreme Court decision “is a call to action to invest in HBCUs,” Howard University’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tashni-Ann Dubroy said.
Although HBCUs represent a small portion of higher education institutions, they produce 70% of all Black doctors and dentists, 50% of Black engineers and 35% of Black lawyers, according to United Negro College Fund.
While the recent calls for racial justice and equality has spurred philanthropic organizations and the nation’s wealthiest to invest in historically Black institutions in the past couple of years, donations have started to drop off.
“We have not received another eight-figure gift since MacKenzie Scott’s $20 million,” Thomas said in an email. “I am optimistic the decision will lead donors to make greater investment in Morehouse College and other HBCUs. That said, the jury is still out.”
According to a recent Brookings report, the 10 largest HBCU endowments were 100 times smaller than the 10 largest endowments for predominantly White institutions.
“Howard would need 10, 15, 20 times the investment we currently have not only for us to have a stable institution over time but also to invest in additional facilities,” Dubroy said. Howard has an endowment of $900 million as of 2022, compared to Harvard University’s $50 billion, she added.
Spelman College’s endowment is at about a half-billion.
“If I compare that to some of our peer women’s liberal arts colleges, their endowments are three, four, even six times as large as ours,” said Gayle, adding that with the anticipated increase in enrollment “doubling our endowment over time would be just the bare minimum to be able to keep pace with the need.”
Biggest HBCUs in America
Biggest HBCUs in America
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
There was a long time in the United States when many young people had no choice but to attend a college founded specifically to teach Black students, with the doors of other schools explicitly closed to them. The earliest of those universities were invaluable for educating Black communities.
Today, the overt racism and legal barriers may be gone, but historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) still play a vital and irreplaceable role in U.S. education. They value and honor African American heritage, provide a supportive environment—especially for students who have coped with racism and minority status in their schools—and make sure that disadvantaged and underserved communities have top-notch educational opportunities.
Their graduates include the earliest unsung teachers and nurses whose educations would make an historic difference to today’s shining stars, such as the nation’s first Black, and female, vice president, Kamala Harris. Others include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., poets Nikki Giovanni and Langston Hughes, writers Ralph Ellison and Alice Walker, artists Spike Lee and Lionel Richie, and author and activist W.E.B. Du Bois.
More than 100 historically Black colleges and universities are designated by the U.S. Department of Education, meeting the definition of a school “established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans.”
StudySoup compiled the 20 largest historically Black colleges and universities in the nation, based on 2021 data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics . Each HBCU on this list is a four-year institution, and the schools are ranked by the total student enrollment.
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#20. Hampton University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Hampton, Virginia
- Total student enrollment: 4,293 (3,714 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $29,287 in-state, $29,287 out-of-state
- Campus setting: midsize city
Hampton University’s roots trace back to 1861, when classes were first held under an oak tree for a group of newly freed slaves, and the school was formally founded seven years later as the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. Its best-known graduate is educator and reformer Booker T. Washington. The school has an array of nearly 100 undergraduate and graduate programs.
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#19. Virginia State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Petersburg, Virginia
- Total student enrollment: 4,365 (4,025 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $9,154 in-state, $20,909 out-of-state
- Campus setting: large suburb
Located near Richmond, Virginia State University comprises six colleges: agriculture, business, education, engineering and technology, humanities and social sciences, and natural and health sciences. VSU is one of a number of schools across the country that offers Peace Corps Prep for students to mix coursework with hands-on experience, community development, and other skills designed to help them succeed in the Peace Corps after graduation.
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#18. Delaware State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Dover, Delaware
- Total student enrollment: 4,768 (4,315 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $8,258 in-state, $17,294 out-of-state
- Campus setting: small city
Founded as the Delaware College for Colored Students in 1891, Delaware State University has four academic colleges : agriculture, science, and technology; humanities, education, and social sciences; business; and health and behavioral sciences, as well as its school of graduate, adult, and extended studies. DSU is currently completing its acquisition of Wesley College, a small private school also located in Dover. It’s the first ever takeover of another college by an HBCU.
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#17. Winston-Salem State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Total student enrollment: 5,121 (4,656 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $5,941 in-state, $16,188 out-of-state
- Campus setting: midsize city
Founded in 1892, Winston-Salem’s early history was rooted in training elementary school teachers. It expanded into teaching nursing in 1953, and became Winston-Salem State College 10 years later and finally Winston-Salem State University in 1969. It leads the University of North Carolina system of 16 universities in terms of job placement for its graduates, and it tops the system in terms of average salaries among graduates in the region known as the Piedmont Triad of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point, North Carolina.
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#16. Grambling State University
Updated
Apr 15, 2021
- Location: Grambling, Louisiana
- Total student enrollment: 5,232 (4,153 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $7,635 in-state, $16,658 out-of-state
- Campus setting: distant town
Grambling State University started out in 1901 as the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School, founded by a group of farmers who wanted to establish a school for Black students. It expanded and in 1974 became Grambling State University. Its undergraduate programs concentrate on traditional liberal arts, its graduate programs focus on professional learning, and it promotes the study of African American art, history, and culture.
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#15. Norfolk State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Norfolk, Virginia
- Total student enrollment: 5,601 (5,112 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $9,622 in-state, $20,790 out-of-state
- Campus setting: midsize city
Norfolk State University offers 31 bachelor’s programs and 15 master’s degree programs in its colleges that include liberal arts, sciences, engineering, technology, business, education, and social work. The most popular majors are business and commerce, electrical and electronics equipment installation and repair, and health care administration management. It is one of the state’s most affordable four-year colleges.
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#14. Albany State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Albany, Georgia
- Total student enrollment: 6,122 (5,778 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $5,934 in-state, $16,656 out-of-state
- Campus setting: small city
Albany State University is one of 26 universities and colleges in the University System of Georgia. Along with supporting Black students and students of color, Albany State University emphasizes its efforts on behalf of adult and first-generation students, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and those from underserved populations.
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#13. Bowie State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Bowie, Maryland
- Total student enrollment: 6,171 (5,227 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $8,444 in-state, $19,136 out-of-state
- Campus setting: large suburb
Located between Baltimore and Washington D.C., Bowie State University is one of the 10 oldest HBCUs in the country, founded in 1865 . Bowie stands to benefit from the settlement of a lengthy legal fight over unequal funding to Maryland’s four HBCUs. The governor recently signed a measure providing $577 million over the course of a decade to Bowie, Morgan State University, Coppin State University, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The state was accused of letting other public colleges duplicate programs at its HBCUs, dampening their enrollment.
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#12. Alabama A&M University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Normal, Alabama
- Total student enrollment: 6,172 (5,273 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $10,024 in-state, $18,634 out-of-state
- Campus setting: midsize city
The Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University opened its doors in 1875 thanks to the efforts of William Hooper Councill, an ex-slave who served as the school’s first principal and president. It’s located in a scenic area a few miles away from Huntsville, Alabama, and offers a wide range of academic degrees across its four colleges, and is especially strong in the sciences.
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#11. Fayetteville State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Total student enrollment: 6,551 (5,644 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $5,310 in-state, $16,918 out-of-state
- Campus setting: midsize city
Fayetteville State University, which offers a wide range of programs such as cybersecurity and foreign study scholarships, has some of the lowest tuition rates in North Carolina. Popular majors at FSU are nursing, criminal justice and safety, psychology, business administration and management, and biology.
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#10. Jackson State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Jackson, Mississippi
- Total student enrollment: 7,020 (5,152 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $8,445 in-state, $9,445 out-of-state
- Campus setting: midsize city
Jackson State University , which emphasizes research and experiential learning, has more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and it is the one of the largest HBCUs in the country. The school recently unveiled a scholarship program for students who major in rural health care and will commit to spending at least three years in a rural job market after graduating.
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#9. Southern University and A&M College
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Total student enrollment: 7,140 (6,324 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $10,441 in-state, $17,791 out-of-state
- Campus setting: midsize city
The student body at Southern University and A&M College is about one-third male and two-thirds female. Among its more popular majors are health professions, business, management, marketing, homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting. The school has five campuses in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Shreveport. It opened the Southern University Law School 1947 when Louisiana State University’s Law School would not allow Black students to attend.
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#8. Morgan State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Baltimore, Maryland
- Total student enrollment: 7,763 (6,461 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $8,008 in-state, $18,480 out-of-state
- Campus setting: large city
The roots of Morgan State University date to 1867, when it was founded as the Centenary Biblical Institute by the Methodist Episcopal Church to train young men to be ministers. It then expanded into training men and women as teachers. Today its programs range from education and architecture to social work and hospitality management. Its urban campus, with buildings designed by top Black architects, was designated a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
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#7. North Carolina Central University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Durham, North Carolina
- Total student enrollment: 8,011 (6,101 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $6,629 in-state, $19,336 out-of-state
- Campus setting: large city
Known for its winning football and basketball teams, North Carolina Central University was the first public college of liberal arts for Black students in the country. Two of its biggest programs of study are criminal justice and business administration, and it also has a respected jazz studies concentration with celebrated saxophonist Branford Marsalis as a faculty member.
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#6. Tennessee State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Nashville, Tennessee
- Total student enrollment: 8,081 (5,875 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $7,251 in-state, $20,607 out-of-state
- Campus setting: large city
The main campus of Tennessee State University is located just a few minutes from downtown Nashville, and it also has a campus close to the city’s central business and government district. It competes in the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference in men’s and women’s basketball, track and field, and other sports. TSU’s Forensics team —forensics is competitive public speaking—this year was named overall national champions and the top HBCU speech and debate team in the country for the second year in a row. Forensics students compete in such events as dramatic interpretation and persuasive speaking.
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#5. Prairie View A&M University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Prairie View, Texas
- Total student enrollment: 8,940 (8,109 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $11,099 in-state, $26,127 out-of-state
- Campus setting: distant town
The first students—eight young Black men—enrolled in 1878 at Prairie View A&M University , the first public college in Texas for Black students. These days, Prairie View offers an average of more than 1,800 courses each semester. It just opened the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice , a research policy and implementation center to address issues of diversity, racism, disctimination, and related topics.
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#4. Texas Southern University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Total student enrollment: 9,034 (7,092 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $9,173 in-state, $21,833 out-of-state
- Campus setting: large city
Texas Southern University got its start in 1927 , the year the Houston Public School Board created two different schools: one for white students and one for Black students. Today, Black students make up about 80% of the student body at Texas Southern University , and the faculty is 70% Black. Nearly all the students come from Texas, while the biggest number of foreign students come from Nigeria. The top degrees awarded at TSU are law, business administration and management, pharmacy, finance, and biology.
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#3. Howard University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Washington D.C.
- Total student enrollment: 9,399 (6,526 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $28,440 in-state, $28,440 out-of-state
- Campus setting: large city
Howard University , a private school founded in 1867, has awarded more on-campus doctorates to African Americans than any other university in the country, and its schools of law and medicine are prestigious as well. Its alumni include Vice President Kamala Harris, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Congressman Elijah Cummings, diplomat Andrew Young, actors Chadwick Boseman and Phylicia Rashad, authors Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison, and opera singer Jessye Norman. Howard was ranked No. 80 on the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings list of the nation’s best universities.
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#2. Florida A&M University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Tallahassee, Florida
- Total student enrollment: 9,626 (7,818 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $5,785 in-state, $17,725 out-of-state
- Campus setting: midsize city
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University offers more than 50 bachelor's degrees, nearly 30 master's degrees, and a dozen doctoral programs. The most popular studies among undergraduates are business administration, biology, and criminal justice, and there are degrees in such topics as jazz studies, cardiopulmonary sciences, and journalism. It recently added a Sustainability Institute, a Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, and a Center for Plasma Science and Technology.
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#1. North Carolina A&T State University
Updated
Jun 1, 2023
- Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
- Total student enrollment: 12,556 (11,039 undergraduate students)
- 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition: $6,657 in-state, $20,167 out-of-state
- Campus setting: large city
North Carolina A&T State University is the nation’s top producer of Black graduates in the fields of engineering and agriculture. Its tuition rates make it the most affordable of the state’s top universities. It has opened new centers of cutting-edge study in advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and vehicle technology. In a Gallup Poll , 96% of its alumni said they would choose North Carolina A&T State University again.
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