View source for Historically black colleges and universities

{{Short description|Schools once meant for African Americans}}
{{Use American English|date = September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = September 2019}}
{{African American topics sidebar}}

'''Historically Black colleges and universities''' ('''HBCUs''') are institutions of [[higher education in the United States]] that were established before the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] with the intention of serving [[African Americans]].<ref>20 U.S. Code sec.1061, [https://USCode.house.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220095814/https://uscode.house.gov/|date=December 20, 2022}}https://USCode.house.gov  For a compact overview of HBCU history, see Walter R. Allen, Joseph O. Jewell, Kimberly A. Griffin, & De'Sha S. Wolf, ''Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Honoring the Past, Engaging the Present, Touching the Future,'' 76 '''Journal of Negro Education''', pp. 263–280 (2007).</ref> Most are in the [[Southern United States]] and were founded during the [[Reconstruction era]] (1865–1877) following the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="Anderson1988">Anderson, J.D. (1988). ''The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860–1935''. University of North Carolina Press.</ref> Their original purpose was to provide education for African-Americans in an era when most colleges and universities in the United States did not allow [[School segregation in the United States|Black students to enroll]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/whhbcu/ |title=White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities |publisher=U.S. Department of Education |access-date=2008-04-23|date=2008-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005211025/http://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/|archive-date=2015-10-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=In the face of inequality.|last=Wooten|first= Melissa E.|date=2016|publisher=State Univ of New York Press|isbn=978-1-4384-5690-4 |oclc=946968175}}</ref>

During the Reconstruction era, most historically Black colleges were founded by [[Protestantism|Protestant]] religious organizations. This changed in 1890 with the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]]' passage of the Second [[Morrill Act]], which required [[Segregation in the United States|segregated]] Southern states to provide African Americans with public higher-education schools in order to receive the Act's benefits. During the 19th century, either after expanding their inclusion of [[Black people]] and African Americans into their institutions or gaining the status of [[minority-serving institution]], became '''predominantly Black institutions''' ('''PBIs''').<ref name="Jones">{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Brandy |title=Predominantly Black Institutions: Pathways to Black Student Educational Attainment |url=https://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/PBIs.pdf |publisher=Center for Minority Serving Institutions}}</ref>

For a century after [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|the abolition]] of [[Slavery in the United States|American slavery]] in 1865, almost all colleges and universities in the Southern United States prohibited all African Americans from attending as required by [[Jim Crow laws]] in the South, while institutions in other parts of the country regularly employed quotas to limit admissions of Black people.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Harris |first=Leslie M. |date=March 26, 2015 |title=The Long, Ugly History of Racism at American Universities |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/121382/forgotten-racist-past-american-universities |magazine=The New Republic |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Marybeth Gasman, ''Envisioning Black Colleges: A History of the United Negro College Fund'' (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007).</ref><ref>Marybeth Gasman and Felecia Commodore (eds.), ''Opportunities and Challenges at Historically Black Colleges and Universities'' (New York: Palgrave Press, 2014). {{ISBN|978-1-349-50267-7}}</ref><ref>Favors, J. (2020). ''Shelter in a time of storm: How Black colleges fostered generations of leadership and activism''. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press. {{ISBN|978-1-4696-4833-0}}</ref> HBCUs were established to provide more opportunities to African Americans and are largely responsible for establishing and expanding the [[African-American middle class]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47234239|title = The story of historically black colleges in the US|publisher = BBC News|date = February 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/despite-obstacles-black-colleges-are-pipelines-to-the-middle-class-study-finds-heres-its-list-of-the-best/|title=Despite Obstacles, Black Colleges Are Pipelines to the Middle Class, Study Finds. Here's Its List of the Best.|website=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]] |date=September 30, 2019 |access-date=2022-02-15}}</ref>  In the 1950s and 1960s, legally enforced racial segregation in education was generally outlawed throughout the South (and anywhere else in the United States), and other nondiscrimination policies were adopted.

There are [[List of historically black colleges and universities|101 HBCUs]] in the United States (of 121 institutions that existed during the 1930s), representing three percent of the nation's colleges,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uncf.org/the-latest/african-americans-and-college-education-by-the-numbers|title= African Americans and College Education by the Numbers|access-date=July 17, 2021|publisher=UNCF|date= November 29, 2018}}</ref> including public and private institutions.<ref name="pewresearch.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/28/a-look-at-historically-black-colleges-and-universities-as-howard-turns-150/ |title=A look at historically black colleges and universities as Howard turns 150|date=28 February 2017 |publisher=Pewresearch.org |access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref> 27 offer doctoral programs, 52 offer master's programs, 83 offer bachelor's degree programs, and 38 offer associate degrees.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.american-school-search.com/colleges/hbcu |title=Historically Black Colleges and Universities – American School Search |publisher=American-school-search.com|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref><ref>Marybeth Gasman, ''The Changing Face of Historically Black Colleges and Universities''. Philadelphia: Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, University of Pennsylvania, 2013. {{ISBN?}}</ref><ref name="BolandGasman2014">Casey Boland, Marybeth Gasman et al., ''Contemporary Public HBCUs: A Four State Comparison'', Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, University of Pennsylvania, Spring 2014. {{ISBN?}}</ref> HBCUs currently produce nearly 20% of all African American college graduates and 25% of African American [[STEM]] graduates.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gettingsmart.com/2022/11/08/the-tide-that-binds-learning-from-experience-at-hbcus/ | title=The Tide That Binds: Learning from Experience at HBCU's | date=November 8, 2022 }}</ref>  Among the graduates of HBCUs are civil rights leader [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], United States Supreme Court Justice [[Thurgood Marshall]], and former United States Vice President [[Kamala Harris]].

==History==
[[File:Institute_for_Colored_Youth_Building_Historical_Marker_915_Bainbridge_St_Philadelphia_PA_(DSC_2640).jpg|thumb|[[Cheyney University of Pennsylvania]] was founded in 1837 as the [[Institute for Colored Youth]], making it the oldest HBCU in the nation]]

===Private institutions===
HBCUs established prior to the American Civil War include [[Cheyney University of Pennsylvania]] in 1837,<ref>For detail of the university's early history from its origins as the Institute for Colored Youth, see Milton M. James, ''The Institute for Colored Youth,'' 21 '''Negro History Bulletin''' p. 83 (1958)</ref> [[University of the District of Columbia]] (then known as Miner School for Colored Girls) in 1851, and [[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University]] in 1854.<ref>Initially chartered as the Ashmun Institute, it changed its name in 1866. It was the first degree-granting HBCU. See Lincoln University, {{Cite web |url=https://www.lincoln.edu/about/history |title=History |access-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531043729/https://www.lincoln.edu/about/history |url-status=dead }}. See also Andrew E. Murray, ''The Founding of Lincoln University,'' 51 '''Journal of Presbyterian History''' p. 392 (1973).</ref> [[Wilberforce University]] was also established prior to the American Civil War.<ref>Originally proposed as Ohio African University, the founders changed the name to Wilberforce University, to honor the English abolitionist [[William Wilberforce]], before its corporate charter was granted. Frederick Alphonso McGinnis, '''A History and Interpretation of Wilberforce University''' p. 33 (1941). See also Charles Killian, ''Wilberforce University: The Reality of Bishop Payne's Dream,'' 34 '''Negro History Bulletin''' p. 83 (1971).</ref> The university was founded in 1856 via a collaboration between the African Methodist Episcopal Church of Ohio and the predominantly white Methodist Episcopal Church.<ref>Marybeth Gasman, ''Envisioning Black Colleges: A History of the United Negro College Fund'' (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007).{{ISBN|978-0-8018-8604-1}}</ref>

HBCUs were controversial in their early years. At the [[1847 National Convention of Colored People and Their Friends]], the famed Black orators [[Frederick Douglass]], [[Henry Highland Garnet]], and [[Alexander Crummell]] debated the need for such institutions, with Crummell arguing that HBCUs were necessary to provide freedom from discrimination, and Douglass and Garnet arguing that self-segregation would harm the black community. A majority of the convention voted that HBCUs should be supported.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

Most HBCUs were established in the [[Southern United States|South]] after the [[American Civil War]], often with the assistance of religious missionary organizations based in the North, especially the [[American Missionary Association]]. The [[Freedmen's Bureau]] played a major role in financing the new schools.<ref>Robert C. Lieberman,  "The Freedmen's Bureau and the politics of institutional structure." ''Social Science History'' 18.3 (1994): 405–437.</ref><ref>Ronald E. Butchart, "Freedmen's education during reconstruction." ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'' 13 (2016): 4-13 [https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/freedmens-education-during-reconstruction online].</ref>

Atlanta University – now [[Clark Atlanta University]] – was founded on September 19, 1865, as the first HBCU in the Southern United States. Atlanta University was the first graduate institution to award degrees to African Americans in the nation and the first to award bachelor's degrees to African Americans in the South; Clark College (1869) was the nation's first four-year liberal arts college to serve African-American students. The two consolidated in 1988 to form Clark Atlanta University.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carrillo|first=Karen Juanita|date=2012|title=African American History Day By Day – A Reference Guide To Events|publisher=Abc-Clio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=urVzCgAAQBAJ&q=atlanta+university+september+19+1865&pg=PA276|isbn=978-1-59884-361-3}}</ref> [[Shaw University]], founded December 1, 1865, was the second HBCU to be established in the South. The year 1865 also saw the foundation of [[Storer College]] (1865–1955) in [[Harper's Ferry, West Virginia|Harper's Ferry]], West Virginia.<ref name="Anderson1988"/> Storer's former campus and buildings have since been incorporated into [[Harpers Ferry National Historical Park]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Roy|first=Lisa|date=December 18, 2013|title=Storer College (1867–1956)|url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/storer-college-1867-1956/|access-date=2020-12-04|language=en-US}}</ref>

Some of these universities eventually became public universities with assistance from the government.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ivory A. Toldson |date=2016 |title=The Funding Gap between Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Traditionally White Institutions Needs to be Addressed* (Editor's Commentary) |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7709/jnegroeducation.85.2.0097 |journal=The Journal of Negro Education |volume=85 |issue=2 |pages=97 |doi=10.7709/jnegroeducation.85.2.0097|jstor=10.7709/jnegroeducation.85.2.0097 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Public institutions===
In 1862,<ref>(7 U.S.C. § 301 et seq.)</ref> the federal government's [[Morrill Act]] provided for [[land grant college]]s in each state. Educational institutions established under the Morrill Act in the [[Northern United States|North]] and [[Western United States|West]] were open to Black Americans. But 17 states, almost all in the South, required their post-Civil war systems to be segregated and excluded Black students from their land grant colleges. In the 1870s, Mississippi, Virginia, and South Carolina each assigned one African American college land-grant status: Alcorn University, Hampton Institute, and Claflin University, respectively.<ref>John W. Davis, ''The Negro Land-Grant College,'' 2 '''Journal of Negro Education''' p. 312 (1933).</ref> In response, Congress passed the [[Morrill Land-Grant Acts#Expansion|second Morrill Act of 1890]], also known as the [[Agricultural College Act of 1890]], requiring states to establish a separate land grant college for Black students if they were being excluded from the existing land grant college. Many of the HBCUs were founded by states to satisfy the Second Morrill Act.<ref>See generally, John W. Davis, ''The Negro Land-Grant College,'' 2 '''Journal of Negro Education''' (1933).</ref>  These land grant schools continue to receive annual federal funding for their research, [[Continuing education|extension]], and outreach activities.<ref name="BolandGasman2014"/>

===Predominantly Black institutions===
Predominantly Black institutions (PBI) are institutions that do not meet the legal definition of HBCUs, but primarily serve African Americans.<ref>{{USC|20|1059e}}</ref> Some examples of PBIs are [[Georgia State University]], [[Chicago State University]], [[Trinity Washington University]], and the [[Community College of Philadelphia]].<ref name="Jones"/><ref name="2022MSIList">{{cite web |title=List of Minority Serving Institutions: 2022 |url=https://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/2022%20MSI%20List.pdf |publisher=Center for Minority Serving Institutions}}</ref>

===Sports===
In the 1920s and 1930s, historically Black colleges developed a strong interest in athletics. Sports were expanding rapidly at state universities, but very few Black stars were recruited there. Race newspapers <!-- It might be useful to clarify exactly what a "Race newspaper" is --> hailed athletic success as a demonstration of racial progress. Black schools hired coaches, recruited and featured stellar athletes, and set up their own leagues.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Miller |first1=Patrick B. |title=To "Bring the Race along Rapidly": Sport, Student Culture, and Educational Mission at Historically Black Colleges during the Interwar Years |journal=History of Education Quarterly |date=1995 |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=111–33 |doi=10.2307/369629 |issn=0018-2680|jstor=369629 |s2cid=147170256 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Miller |editor-first1=Patrick B |editor-last2=Wiggins |editor-first2=David Kenneth |title=Sport and the color line: black athletes and race relations in twentieth-century America |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-94610-0 |language=en|oclc=53155353 }}</ref>

===Jewish refugees===
In the 1930s, many Jewish intellectuals fleeing Europe after the rise of [[Hitler]] and [[anti-Jewish legislation in prewar Nazi Germany]] following Hitler's elevation to power emigrated to the United States and found work teaching in historically Black colleges.<ref name="African American Registry">{{Cite news|url=https://aaregistry.org/story/jewish-profs-and-hbcus/|title=Jewish Prof's and HBCU's – African American Registry|work=African American Registry|access-date=2018-10-23|language=en-US}}</ref> In particular, 1933 was a challenging year for many Jewish academics who tried to escape increasingly oppressive Nazi policies,<ref name="Hoch 217–246" /> particularly after legislation was passed stripping them of their positions at universities.<ref name="Hoch 217–246" /> Jews looking outside of Germany could not find work in other European countries because of calamities like the [[Spanish Civil War]] and general antisemitism in Europe.<ref name="timeline.com">{{cite web|last=Gilligan|first=Heather|date=10 February 2017|title=After fleeing the Nazis, many Jewish refugee professors found homes at historically Black colleges|url=https://timeline.com/jewish-professors-black-colleges-9a61d4603771|access-date=6 December 2018|website=Timeline}}</ref><ref name="Hoch 217–246">{{Cite journal|last=Hoch|first=Paul K.|date=1983-05-11|title=The reception of central European refugee physicists of the 1930s: USSR, UK, US.|journal=Annals of Science|language=en|volume=40|issue=3|pages=217–46|doi=10.1080/00033798300200211|issn=0003-3790}}</ref> In the US, they hoped to continue their academic careers, but barring a scant few, found little acceptance in elite institutions in [[Great Depression in the United States|Depression-era America]], which also had their own undercurrent of [[Antisemitism in the United States|antisemitism]].<ref name="African American Registry" /><ref>Marybeth Gasman, "Scylla and Charybdis: Navigating the Waters of Academic Freedom at Fisk University during Charles S. Johnson's Administration (1946–1956)", ''American Educational Research Journal'' 36, no. 4 (1999): 739–58.</ref>

As a result of these phenomena, more than two-thirds of the faculty hired at many HBCUs from 1933 to 1945 had come to the United States to escape from Nazi Germany.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/blackcollegemyst0000will|url-access=registration|quote=jewish refugees teaching in black colleges.|title=The Black College Mystique|last1=Willie|first1=Charles Vert|last2=Reddick|first2=Richard J.|last3=Brown|first3=Ronald|date=2006|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-4617-2|language=en}}</ref> HBCUs believed the Jewish professors were valuable faculty that would help strengthen their institutions' credibility.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Foster|first=Lenoar|date=2001-11-11|title=The Not-So-Invisible Professors|journal=Urban Education|language=en|volume=36|issue=5|pages=611–29|doi=10.1177/0042085901365006|s2cid=145633996|issn=0042-0859}}</ref> HBCUs had a firm belief in diversity and giving opportunity no matter the race, religion, or country of origin.<ref name="Jewell2002">{{cite journal|title=To Set an Example: The Tradition of Diversity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities|first=Joseph O.|last=Jewell|date=1 January 2002|journal=Urban Education|volume=37|issue=1|pages=7–21|doi=10.1177/0042085902371002|s2cid=145115998}}</ref> HBCUs were open to Jews because of their ideas of equal learning spaces. They sought to create an environment where all people felt welcome to study, including women.<ref name="Jewell2002" />

===World War II===
HBCUs made substantial contributions to the US war effort. One example is [[Tuskegee University]] in Alabama, where the [[Tuskegee Airmen]] trained and attended classes.<ref name="jbhe">{{cite web |title=How HBCUs Contributed to the 1940s War Effort |url=https://www.jbhe.com/2012/07/how-hbcus-contributed-to-the-1940s-war-effort/ |date=July 12, 2012 |work=Journal of Blacks in Higher Education}}</ref><ref>Philo Hutcheson, Marybeth Gasman, and Kijua Sanders-McMurtry, "Race and Equality in the Academy: Rethinking Higher Education Actors and the Struggle for Equality in the Post-World War II Period", ''Journal of Higher Education'' 82, no. 2 (2011): 121–53</ref>

===Florida's Black junior colleges===
After the landmark ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' decision of 1954, the legislature of Florida, with support from various counties, opened eleven [[junior college]]s serving the African-American population. Their purpose was to show that [[separate but equal]] education was working in Florida. Prior to this, there had been only one junior college in Florida serving African Americans, [[Booker T. Washington Junior College]], in Pensacola, founded in 1949. The new ones were [[Gibbs Junior College]] (1957), [[Roosevelt Junior College]] (1958), [[Volusia County Junior College]] (1958), [[Hampton Junior College]] (1958), [[Rosenwald Junior College]] (1958), [[Suwannee River Junior College]] (1959), [[Carver Junior College]] (1960), [[Collier-Blocker Junior College]] (1960), [[Lincoln Junior College]] (1960), [[Jackson Junior College]] (1961), and [[Johnson Junior College]] (1962).

The new junior colleges began as extensions of Black high schools. They used the same facilities and often the same faculty. Some built their own buildings after a few years. After the passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] mandated an end to school segregation, the colleges were all abruptly closed. Only a fraction of the students and faculty were able to transfer to the previously all-white junior colleges, where they found, at best, an indifferent reception.<ref>{{citation
|first=Walter L.
|last=Smith
|title=The Magnificent Twelve: Florida's Black Junior Colleges
|location=Winter Park, Florida
|publisher=FOUR-G Publishers
|year=1994
|isbn=1-885066-01-5}}</ref>

===Since 1965===
[[File:President George H. W. Bush signs a new Executive Order on historically black colleges and universities.jpg|thumb|right|[[President of the United States|President]] George H. W. Bush signs a new Executive Order on historically Black colleges and universities in the [[White House Rose Garden]], April 1989]]
A reauthorization of the [[Higher Education Act of 1965]] established a program for direct federal grants to HBCUs, to support their academic, financial, and administrative capabilities.<ref>20 U.S.C. § 1062.</ref><ref>The Act, as amended, defines a "part B institution" as: "...any historically Black college or university that was established before 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." {{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whhbcu/edlite-index.html|title=HBCUs: A National Resource|work=White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities|author=U.S. Department of Education|date=2008-01-15|access-date=2008-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513215748/http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whhbcu/edlite-index.html|archive-date=2008-05-13}}<br />20 U.S.C. § 1061.</ref> Part B specifically provides for formula-based grants, calculated based on each institution's Pell grant eligible enrollment, graduation rate, and percentage of graduates who continue post-baccalaureate education in fields where African Americans are underrepresented. Some colleges with a predominantly Black student body are not classified as HBCUs because they were founded (or opened their doors to African Americans) after the implementation of the ''[[Sweatt v. Painter]]'' (1950) and ''Brown v. Board of Education'' (1954) rulings by the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] (the court decisions which outlawed [[racial segregation]] of public education facilities) and the Higher Education Act of 1965.

In 1980, [[Jimmy Carter]] signed an executive order to distribute adequate resources and funds to strengthen the nation's public and private HBCUs. His executive order created the White House Initiative on historically Black colleges and universities (WHIHBCU), which is a federally funded program that operates within the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/about-us/|title=About Us – White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities|website=Sites.ed.gov|access-date=24 August 2016}}</ref> In 1989, [[George H. W. Bush]] continued Carter's pioneering spirit by signing Executive Order 12677, which created the presidential advisory board on HBCUs, to counsel the government and the secretary on the future development of these organizations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gasman |first1=Marybeth |last2=Tudico |first2=Christopher L. |title=Historically Black Colleges and Universities: triumphs, troubles, and taboos |url=https://archive.org/details/historicallyblac00gasm_429 |url-access=limited |date=2008 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=978-0-230-61726-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historicallyblac00gasm_429/page/n14 4]–5 |edition=1st}}</ref>

Starting in 2001, directors of libraries of several HBCUs began discussions about ways to pool their resources and work collaboratively. In 2003, this partnership was formalized as the [[HBCU Library Alliance]], "a consortium that supports the collaboration of information professionals dedicated to providing an array of resources designed to strengthen historically Black colleges and Universities and their constituents."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hbculibraries.org/|title=HBCU Library Alliance|website=Hbuclibraries.org|date=2010-04-23|access-date=2010-05-15}}</ref>

In 2015, the Bipartisan Congressional Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) [[Caucus]] was established by U.S. Representatives [[Alma S. Adams]] and [[Bradley Byrne]]. The caucus advocates for HBCUs on [[United States Congress|Capitol Hill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://byrne.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/members-of-congress-launch-bipartisan-congressional-hbcu-caucus|title=Members of Congress Launch Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus|date=28 April 2015|website=Byrne.house.gov|access-date=24 August 2016}}</ref> {{As of|May 2022}}, there are over 100 elected politicians who are members of the caucus.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://adams.house.gov/bipartisan-historically-black-colleges-and-universities-hbcu-caucus | title=Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus | date=October 11, 2016 }}</ref>

==Current status==
{{Further|List of historically Black colleges and universities}}[[File:North_Carolina_A&T_State_University_Springtime.jpg|thumb|[[North Carolina A&T State University]] is the nation's largest HBCU by enrollment.]]
Each year, the [[U.S. Department of Education]] designates a week in the [[autumn|fall]] as "National HBCU Week." This week features conferences and events focused on discussing and celebrating HBCUs while also honoring notable scholars and alumni from these institutions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/hbcu-week-conference/2015-hbcu-week-conference/|title=2015 HBCU Week Conference – White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities|website=Sites.ed.gov|access-date=24 August 2016}}</ref>

As of February 2025, [[Alabama]] has the most active HBCUs of any state, with 14.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alreporter.com/2022/10/13/gov-kay-ivey-signs-proclamation-declaring-october-alabama-hbcu-month/|title = Gov. Kay Ivey signs proclamation declaring October Alabama HBCU Month| date=October 13, 2022 }}</ref> [[North Carolina]] is second with 11.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2022/02/23/historically-black-colleges-and-universities-in-nc1#:~:text=A%20look%20at%20Historically%20Black%20Colleges%20and%20Universities%20in%20North%20Carolina&text=RALEIGH%2C%20N.C.%20%E2%80%94%20Following%20the%20Civil,HBCUs%20remaining%20in%20the%20state |title=Historically Black Colleges and Universities in N.C |publisher=Spectrumlocalnews.com |date=2022-02-23 |access-date=2022-08-04}}</ref>

In February 2025, [[Howard University]] became the first HBCU to achieve [[List of research universities in the United States|Research One (R1) Carnegie Classification]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.diverseeducation.com/institutions/hbcus/article/15737390/howard-university-makes-history-as-first-hbcu-to-achieve-top-research-status | title=Howard University Makes History as First HBCU to Achieve Top Research Status | date=February 13, 2025 }}</ref>

In 2024, some HBCUs experienced a significant increase in applications and enrollment, largely driven by the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court's]] landmark decision in June 2023 to [[Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard|end race-based affirmative action at American colleges and universities]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jbhe.com/2024/10/many-hbcus-see-a-surge-in-enrollments/|title=Many HBCUs See a Surge In Enrollments|date=October 7, 2024|website=The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.insightintodiversity.com/enrollments-surge-at-hbcus/#:~:text=Hampton%20University%20in%20Virginia%20saw,freshman%20class%20in%2015%20years | title=Enrollments Surge at HBCUS &#124; Insight into Academia | date=October 11, 2024 }}</ref>

A 2024 study by the American Institute for Boys and Men revealed that Black men make up only 26% of HBCU students, down from 38% in 1976.  The decline of Black men enrolled in college is also noticeable at non-HBCUs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aibm.org/research/hbcus-at-a-crossroads-addressing-the-decline-in-black-male-enrollment/|title=HBCUs: Addressing the Decline in Black Male Enrollment &#124; AIBM|website=American Institute for Boys and Men}}</ref>

In 2024, the [[United Negro College Fund]] released a study showing that HBCUs had a $16.5 billion positive impact on the nation's economy.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://uncf.org/wp-content/uploads/FINAL_UNCF_2024-Consumer-HBCUEconomicImpactReport-Digital.pdf?_ga=2.29850175.1236008534.1737565654-2007080917.1737565654&_gac=1.144910720.1737565654.EAIaIQobChMIxdOQueiJiwMVQTbUAR26vQn_EAAYASAAEgJH1vD_BwE | title=Transforming Futures: The Economic Engine of HBCUs }}</ref>

In 2023, the average HBCU 6-year undergraduate graduation rate was 35% while the national average was 64%. [[Spelman College]] was the only HBCU above the national average at 74%.<ref name="Bankrate">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/hbcu-and-msi-statistics/|title=HBCU and MSI Facts and Statistics|first=Heidi|last=Rivera|date=November 15, 2023|website=Bankrate}}</ref>  Also in 2023, 73% of students attending HBCUs were [[Pell Grant]] eligible while the national average was 34%.<ref name="Bankrate"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://educationdata.org/pell-grant-statistics#:~:text=Nationwide%2C%2034%25%20of%20undergraduate%20students,the%20Pell%20Grant%20is%20%246%2C895 | title=Pell Grant Statistics &#91;2023&#93;: How Many Receive per Year }}</ref> [[Talladega College]] had the highest percent of Pell Grant eligible students among HBCUs at 95%.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://wallyboston.com/admissions-and-financial-aid-practices-at-hbcus/#:~:text=The%20lowest%20percentage%20of%20students,are%20tracked%20by%20College%20Navigator | title=Analyzing Admissions and Financial Aid Practices at HBCUs | date=August 9, 2023 }}</ref>

Between 2020 and 2021, philanthropist [[MacKenzie Scott]] donated a historic $560 million in total to 23 public and private HBCUs, with most of her contributions setting donation records at the institutions she supported.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/mackenzie-scott-donated-560-million-to-23-hbcus-these-are-the-other-things-they-have-in-common | title=MacKenzie Scott Donated $560 Million to 23 HBCUs. These Are the Other Things They Have in Common | date=August 7, 2021 }}</ref> 

In 2015, the share of Black students attending HBCUs had dropped to 9% of the total number of Black students enrolled in degree-granting institutions nationwide. This figure is a decline from the 13% of Black students who enrolled in an HBCU in 2000 and 17% who enrolled in 1980. This is a result of desegregation, rising incomes and increased access to financial aid, which has created more college options for Black students.<ref name="pewresearch.org"/><ref>Marybeth Gasman & Thai-Huy Nguyen, ''Making Black Scientists: A Call to Action''. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2019). {{ISBN|978-0-674-91658-6}}</ref>

The percentages of bachelor's and master's degrees awarded to Black students by HBCUs has decreased over time. HBCUs awarded 35% of the bachelor's degrees and 21% of the master's degrees earned by Black students in 1976–77, compared with the 14% and 6% respectively of bachelor's and master's degrees earned by Black students in 2014–15. Additionally, the percentage of Black doctoral degree recipients who received their degrees from HBCUs was lower in 2014–15 (12%) than in 1976–77 (14%).<ref name="ed.gov">{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=667|title=The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics)|website=Nces.ed.gov|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref><ref>Robert Nathenson, Andrés Castro Samayoa, & Marybeth Gasman, ''Moving Upward & Onward: Income Mobility and Historically Black Colleges and Universities'', New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions, 2019. {{ISBN?}}</ref><ref>William Casey Boland, Marybeth Gasman, Andrés Castro Samayoa, and DeShaun Bennett, "The Effect of Enrolling in Minority Serving Institutions on Earnings Compared to Non-Minority Serving Institutions: A College Scorecard Analysis", Research in Higher Education (2019).</ref>

The number of total students enrolled at an HBCU rose by 32% between 1976 and 2015, from 223,000 to 293,000. Total enrollment in degree-granting institutions nationwide increased by 81%, from 11 million to 20 million, in the same period.<ref name="ed.gov"/>

Although HBCUs were originally founded to educate Black students, their diversity has increased over time. In 2015, students who were either White, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, or Native American made up 22% of total enrollment at HBCUs, compared with 15% in 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_313.20.asp?current=yes|title=Digest of Education Statistics, 2016|website=Nces.ed.gov|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>

HBCUS may struggle to complete with predominantly White schools in recruiting high-achieving Black students. In an attempt to correct for racial disparities, many predominantly White institutions actively seek out and court high-achieving students of color. These schools may extend scholarships or other incentives to prospective students beyond what HBCUs can offer.<ref>Van Camp, D., Barden, J., Sloan, L. R., & Clarke, R. P. (2009). Choosing an HBCU: An opportunity to pursue racial self-development. ''The Journal of Negro Education, 78''(4), 457-468. Retrieved from <nowiki>https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/choosing-hbcu-opportunity-pursue-racial-self/docview/222068417/se-2</nowiki></ref>

===Racial diversity post-2000===
Following the enactment of Civil Rights laws in the 1960s, many educational institutions in the United States that receive federal funding adopted [[affirmative action]] to increase their racial diversity. Some historically Black colleges and universities now have non-Black majorities, including [[West Virginia State University]] and [[Bluefield State University]], whose student bodies have had large [[White Americans|White]] majorities since the mid-1960s.<ref name="pewresearch.org"/><ref>Robert Palmer, Robert Shorette, and Marybeth Gasman (Eds.), ''Exploring Diversity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Implications for Policy and Practice'' (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2014).{{ISBN|978-1-119-10843-6}}</ref><ref>Marybeth Gasman and Felecia Commodore (Eds.), ''Opportunities and Challenges at Historically Black Colleges and Universities'' (New York: Palgrave Press, 2014). {{ISBN|978-1-349-50267-7}}</ref>

As many HBCUs have made a concerted effort to maintain enrollment levels and often offer relatively affordable tuition, the percentage of non–African-American enrollment has risen.<ref>[http://newsone.com/797215/more-non-black-students-attending-hbcus/ "More Non-Black Students Attending HBCUs"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713204313/http://newsone.com/797215/more-non-black-students-attending-hbcus/ |date=July 13, 2016 }}. Newsone.com (2010-10-07). Retrieved on 2013-08-09.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2009/02/09/why-black-colleges-might-be-the-best-bargains|title=Why Black Colleges Might Be the Best Bargains |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |access-date=24 August 2016}}</ref><ref>Marybeth Gasman, Andrés Castro Samayoa, & Michael Nettles (Eds.). ''The Return on Investment for Minority Serving Institutions''. (San Francisco, California: Wiley Press, 2017). {{ISBN?}}</ref><ref>Marybeth Gasman, Andrés Castro Samayoa, William Casey Boland, & Paola Esmieu (Eds.), ''Educational Challenges and Opportunities at Minority Serving Institutions'' (New York: Routledge Press, 2018) {{ISBN|978-1-138-57261-4}}.</ref> The following table highlights HBCUs with high non–African American enrollments:

{| style="text-align:center; margin-left:2em; margin:auto;" class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Racial diversity at HBCUs, 2016–2017 school year<ref>{{cite web|url=http://HBCUConnect.com/cgi-bin/blog.cgi?blog_id=163918&cid=1|title=Apart No More? HBCUs Heading Into an Era of Change|website=hbcuconnect.com|access-date=24 August 2016}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" |College name
! rowspan="2" |State
! colspan="2" |Percentage
|-
!African<br />American
!Non-African<br />American
|-
|[[Bluefield State University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bluefieldstate.edu/sites/default/files/fall2017_census.pdf|title=Bluefield State University : Student Profile Analysis: College Wide Summary: Fall Term 2017 Census|website=Bluefieldstate.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||West Virginia||8||92
|-
|[[West Virginia State University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wvstateu.edu/wvsu/media/Research/WVSU-Fact-Book-2015-to-2016.pdf|title=West Virginia State University: Office of Institutional Research and Assessment: 2015–2016 University Factbook|website=Wvstateu.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||West Virginia||8||92
|-
|[[Kentucky State University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kysu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Fast-Facts-2016.pdf|title=Kentucky State University: Statistics|website=Kysu.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||Kentucky||46||54
|-
|[[University of the District of Columbia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.udc.edu/irap/15_16_udc_factbook.pdf|title=University of the District of Columbia: Factbook|website=Docs.udc.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||District of Columbia||59||41
|-
|[[Delaware State University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.desu.edu/sites/flagship/files/document/16/enrolled_profile_fall_2015.pdf|title=Delaware State University: Factbook|website=Desu.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||Delaware||64||36
|-
|[[Fayetteville State University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uncfsu.edu/Documents/ir/FactBook/Fact%20Book%202016-2017.pdf|title=Fayetteville State University: Fact Book: 2016–2017|website=Uncfsu.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||North Carolina||60||40
|-
|[[Winston-Salem State University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://public.tableau.com/profile/winston.salem.state.university.institutional.assessment.research#!/vizhome/FactBook2010-2016/Introduction|title=Tableau Public|website=Public.tableau.com|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||North Carolina||71||29
|-
|[[Elizabeth City State University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecsu.edu/documents/factbooks/factbook2016-17.pdf|title=Elizabeth City State University: Factbook|website=Ecsu.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||North Carolina||76||24
|-
|[[Xavier University of Louisiana]]<ref>''U.S. News & World Report'' Best Colleges, 2011 ed. Directory p. 182</ref>||Louisiana||70||30
|-
|[[North Carolina A&T State University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ir.ncat.edu/fastfacts2015.html|title=NCAT IR – University Fast Facts|website=ir.ncat.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||North Carolina||80||20
|-
|[[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lincoln.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/institutional-research/2016-Factbook-Final-web.pdf|title=Lincoln University: Factbook|website=Lincoln.edu|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>||Pennsylvania||84||16
|}

'''Other HBCUs with relatively high non–African American student populations'''

According to the [[U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking|''U.S. News & World Report'' Best Colleges]] 2011 edition, the proportion of White American students at [[Langston University]] was 12%; at [[Shaw University]], 12%; at [[Tennessee State University]], 12%; at the [[University of Maryland Eastern Shore]], 12%; and at [[North Carolina Central University]], 10%. The ''U.S. News & World Report''{{'}}s statistical profiles indicate that several other HBCUs have relatively significant percentages of non–African American student populations consisting of Asian, Hispanic, white American, and foreign students.<ref>''U.S. News & World Report'' Best Colleges, 2011 ed. Directory p. 129</ref>

===Special academic programs===
HBCU libraries have formed the [[HBCU Library Alliance]]. That alliance, together with [[Cornell University]], have a joint program to digitize HBCU collections. The project is funded by the [[Andrew W. Mellon Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hbculibraries.org/docs/project_news.pdf|title=HBCU Library Alliance – Cornell University Library Digitization Initiative Update|website=Hbculigraries.org|year=2006|access-date=2010-12-01}}</ref> Additionally, more historically Black colleges and universities are offering online education programs. As of November 23, 2010, nineteen historically Black colleges and universities offer online degree programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/11/23/hbcu|title=Modest Gains for Black Colleges Online|year=2010|website=Insidehighered.com|access-date=2012-01-04}}</ref>

===Intercollegiate sports===
{{see also|List of black college football classics|Black college football national championship|Black College Football Hall of Fame}}

[[NCAA Division I]] has two historically Black athletic conferences: [[Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference]] and [[Southwestern Athletic Conference]]. The top football teams from the conferences have played each other in postseason bowl games: the [[Pelican Bowl]] (1970s), the [[Heritage Bowl]] (1990s), and the [[Celebration Bowl]] (2015–present). These conferences are home to all Division I HBCUs except for [[Hampton Pirates and Lady Pirates|Hampton University]] and [[Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers|Tennessee State University]]. Tennessee State has been a member of the [[Ohio Valley Conference]] since 1986, while Hampton left the MEAC in 2018 for the [[Big South Conference]]. In 2021, [[North Carolina A&T Aggies|North Carolina A&T State University]] made the same conference move that Hampton made three years earlier (MEAC to Big South).<ref>{{cite web|title=N.C. A&T Announces New Athletics Affiliation: Big South Conference|url=https://www.ncat.edu/news/2020/02/ncat-big-south.php#:~:text=EAST%20GREENSBORO,%20N.C.%20(Feb.,on%20the%20N.C.%20A&T%20campus.|access-date=2020-12-04|website=Ncat.edu}}</ref> Both Hampton and North Carolina A&T later moved their athletic programs to the [[Colonial Athletic Association]] and its technically separate football league of CAA Football; Hampton joined both sides of the CAA in 2022,<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://caasports.com/news/2022/1/24/football-caa-welcomes-hampton-university-monmouth-university-and-stony-brook-university-as-new-members.aspx |title=CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members |publisher=Colonial Athletic Association |date=January 25, 2022 |access-date=January 25, 2022}}</ref> while A&T joined the all-sports CAA in 2022 before joining CAA Football in 2023.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://caasports.com/news/2022/2/22/football-caa-welcomes-north-carolina-a-t-as-newest-member-of-the-conference.aspx |title=CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference |publisher=Colonial Athletic Association |date=February 22, 2022 |access-date=February 22, 2022}}</ref>

The mostly HBCU [[Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association]] and [[Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] are part of the [[NCAA Division II]], whereas the HBCU [[Gulf Coast Athletic Conference]] is part of the [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics]].<ref>{{cite web|title=NAIA Conferences|url=https://www.naia.org/conferences/index|access-date=2020-12-04|website=Naia.org|language=en}}</ref>

==Notable HBCU alumni==
{{Cleanup gallery|date=January 2025}}

{{hatnote|See also the "Notable alumni" sections of each institution's article.}}

HBCUs have a rich legacy of matriculating many leaders in the fields of business, law, science, education, military service, entertainment, art, and sports.

* [[Ralph Abernathy]], civil rights activist, minister – [[Clark Atlanta University]], [[Alabama State University]]
* [[Ed Bradley]], first black [[White House]] correspondent for [[CBS News]] - [[Cheyney University of Pennsylvania]]
* [[Toni Braxton]], Grammy-winning R&B artist with over 70 million records sold - [[Bowie State University|Bowie State]]
* [[Edward Brooke]], first African-American elected by popular vote to [[United States Senate]] and to serve as [[Massachusetts Attorney General]] - [[Howard University]]
* [[Roscoe Lee Browne]], prolific actor and director - [[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University]]
* [[James Clyburn]], US Congressman from [[South Carolina's 6th congressional district]] and [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Whip]] of the [[116th United States Congress]] – [[South Carolina State University]]
* [[Medgar Wiley Evers]], civil rights leader - [[Alcorn State University]]
* [[NASA]] mathematician [[Katherine Johnson]] attended [[West Virginia State University]].
* [[Althea Gibson]], the first African American to win a [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] title had a full athletic scholarship to [[Florida A&M University]]
* [[Nikki Giovanni]], poet – [[Fisk University]]
* [[Alcee Hastings]], [[United States House of Representatives|US Congressman]] from [[Florida's 20th congressional district]] – [[Fisk University]], [[Howard University]], [[Florida A&M University]]
* [[Randy Jackson]], original judge on [[American Idol]] - [[Southern University]]
* [[Lonnie Johnson (inventor)|Lonnie Johnson]], inventor, NASA engineer – [[Tuskegee University]]
* [[Tom Joyner]], first African-American inducted into the [[National Radio Hall of Fame]] - [[Tuskegee University]]
* [[Reginald Lewis]], first African-American to build and own a [[Beatrice Foods|billion dollar company]] - Virginia State
* [[Claude McKay]], poet, [[Tuskegee University]]
* [[Astronaut]] [[Ronald McNair]] graduated from [[North Carolina A&T State University]].
* [[Rod Paige]], first African-American to serve as the U.S. education chief - [[Jackson State University]]
* [[Walter Payton]], considered one of the greatest [[running backs]] in NFL history – [[Jackson State University]]
* [[Anika Noni Rose]], the original voice of the first African American [[Disney]] princess ([[Tiana (The Princess and the Frog)|Tiana]]) - Florida A&M University
* [[Jerry Rice]], considered the greatest [[NFL]] wide receiver of all-time - [[Mississippi Valley State University|Mississippi Valley State]]
* [[Stephen A. Smith]], well-known sports journalist and  television personality - [[Winston-Salem State University]]
* [[Megan Thee Stallion]], [[63rd Annual Grammy Awards|Grammy-winning]] rapper and actress - [[Texas Southern University|Texas Southern]]
* [[Leon H. Sullivan]], developer of the Sullivan Principles used to end [[apartheid]] in [[South Africa]], attended  West Virginia State University.
* [[Wanda Sykes]], [[Emmy]]-winning comedian, novelist, writer, and actress – [[Hampton University]]
* [[André Leon Talley]], first African-American editor-at-large of ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' - [[Virginia State]]
* The [[Tuskegee Airmen]] were educated at Tuskegee University.
* [[Alice Walker]], novelist and poet – [[Spelman College]]
* [[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]], former 4-time [[NBA All-Star]] and NBA Defensive Player of the Year - [[Virginia Union University]]
* [[Doug Williams (quarterback)|Doug Williams]], first black NFL quarterback to win a [[Super Bowl]] - [[Grambling State]]
* [[Tramell Tillman]], actor - [[Xavier University of Louisiana]]


<gallery class="center">
File:Booker T Washington retouched flattened-crop.jpg|[[Booker T. Washington]], educator, orator, and advisor ([[Hampton University|Hampton]])
File:WEB DuBois 1918.jpg|[[W. E. B. Du Bois]], [[Sociology|sociologist]], historian, and activist ([[Fisk University|Fisk]])
File:Thurgoodmarshall1967.jpg|[[Thurgood Marshall]], first black [[SCOTUS|Supreme Court]] justice ([[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln]], [[Howard University School of Law|Howard]])
File:Martin Luther King Jr NYWTS.jpg|[[Martin Luther King Jr.]], leader of the [[civil rights movement]] ([[Morehouse College|Morehouse]])
File:Toni Morrison.jpg|[[Toni Morrison]], acclaimed novelist and Nobel laureate ([[Howard University|Howard]])
File:AFGE Meets with Rev. Jesse Jackson (10196120025) (1).jpg|[[Jesse Jackson]], minister and politician ([[North Carolina A&T State University|North Carolina A&T]])
File:Spike Lee at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg|[[Spike Lee]], film director and producer ([[Morehouse College|Morehouse]])
File:SamuelLJacksonCCJuly2010.jpg|[[Samuel L. Jackson]], actor and film producer ([[Morehouse College|Morehouse]])
File:Ruth J. Simmons (cropped).jpg|[[Ruth Simmons]], first African American president in the [[Ivy League]] ([[Dillard University|Dillard]])
File:Oprah in 2014.jpg|[[Oprah Winfrey]], talk show host and media mogul ([[Tennessee State University|Tenn State]])
File:Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Portrait (cropped).jpg|[[Kamala Harris]], Vice President of the United States ([[Howard University|Howard]])
File:-Hidden Figures- Film Celebration (NHQ201612100020) (cropped).jpg|[[Taraji P. Henson]], actress ([[Howard University|Howard]])
File:Chadwick Boseman (28017825484) (cropped 2).jpg|[[Chadwick Boseman]], actor and playwright ([[Howard University|Howard]])
File:Common (12964) (cropped, Common).jpg|[[Common (rapper)|Common]], rapper and actor ([[Florida A&M University|Florida A&M]])
File:Strahan 2021 FOX (cropped).jpg|[[Michael Strahan]], [[NFL]] Hall of Famer, entrepreneur, TV personality, and actor ([[Texas Southern University|Texas Southern]])
File:Erykah Badu 2008.07.14 004.jpg|[[Erykah Badu]], singer, entrepreneur, and actress ([[Grambling State University|Grambling State]])
File:Leontyne Price (color) by Jack Mitchell.jpg|[[Leontyne Price]], internationally acclaimed [[soprano]] ([[Central State University|Central State]])
File:Lionel Richie 2019.jpg|[[Lionel Richie]], singer, songwriter, record producer, and TV personality ([[Tuskegee University|Tuskegee]])
File:Joycelyn Elders official portrait (cropped).jpg|[[Joycelyn Elders]], first African American [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeon General of the U.S.]] ([[Philander Smith University|Philander Smith]])
File:Stacey Abrams by Gage Skidmore.jpg|[[Stacey Abrams]], voting rights leader, lawyer, and author ([[Spelman College|Spelman]])
</gallery>

==Modern presidential and federal support==
Federal funding for HBCUs has notably increased in recent years.  Proper federal support of HBCUs has become more of a key issue in modern U.S. presidential elections.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=Tony |last2=Glover |first2=Gelnda |title=101 HBCUs get nearly 7 times less money than 1 other school. That must change. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/17/increase-hbcu-funding/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

In [[President Barack Obama]]'s eight years in office, he invested more than $4 billion to HBCUs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/resources/fact-sheet-obama-administration-investments-historically-black-colleges-and-universities|title=Fact Sheet: Obama Administration Investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities &#124; National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)|website=safesupportivelearning.ed.gov}}</ref>

In 2019, [[President Donald Trump]] signed a bipartisan bill that permanently invested more than $250 million a year to HBCUs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/bills-donald-trump-politics-c4834e48841d97c5a93312b1bf75302a|website=[[Associated Press]]|title=Trump signs bill restoring funding for black colleges|date=April 20, 2021}}</ref>

In 2021, [[President Joe Biden]]'s first year in office, he invested a historic $5.8 billion to support HBCUs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/17/fact-sheet-the-biden-%E2%81%A0harris-administrations-historic-investments-and-support-for-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ | author=The White House | title=FACT SHEET: The Biden-⁠Harris Administration's Historic Investments and Support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities | website=The White House |access-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025010623/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/17/fact-sheet-the-biden-%E2%81%A0harris-administrations-historic-investments-and-support-for-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  In 2022, Biden's administration announced an additional $2.7 billion through his American Rescue Plan.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/07/fact-sheet-state-by-state-analysis-of-record-2-7-billion-american-rescue-plan-investment-in-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ | title=FACT SHEET: State-by-State Analysis of Record $2.7 Billion American Rescue Plan Investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities | date=March 7, 2022 }}</ref>

In 2025, President Donald Trump signed an [[executive order]] establishing the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This initiative is housed within the Executive Office of the President and aims to enhance HBCUs' capacity to deliver a high-quality education.<ref>https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-promotes-excellence-and-innovation-at-hbcus/</ref>

==HBCU homecomings==
[[Homecoming]] is a tradition at almost every American college and university, however homecoming has a more unique meaning at HBCUs. Homecoming plays a significant role in the culture and identity of HBCUs.  The level of pageantry and local black community involvement (parade participation, business vendors, etc.) helps make HBCU homecomings more distinctive. Due to higher campus traffic and activity, classes at HBCUs are usually cancelled on Friday and Saturday of homecoming.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://studybreaks.com/students/hbcu-homecomings/ | title=For the Culture: It's Time for HBCU Homecomings | date=October 6, 2019 }}</ref> Millions of alumni, students, celebrity guests, and visitors attend HBCU homecomings every year.   In addition to being a highly cherished tradition and festive week, homecomings generate strong revenue for many black owned businesses and HBCUs. Since 2021, the rise in violence at HBCU homecomings—primarily gun-related and most often perpetrated by individuals unaffiliated with HBCUs—has become a significant concern. <ref>{{cite web | title=Post-Shutdown HBCU Homecomings Bring Much-Needed Boosts to Revenues | website=US News & World Report | date=1 November 2022 | url=https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-11-01/post-shutdown-hbcu-homecomings-bring-much-needed-boosts-to-revenues | access-date=4 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://nmaahc.si.edu/homecoming-celebration-hbcus-and-their-legacies | title=Homecoming: A Celebration of HBCUs and Their Legacies }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/hbcu-alums-homecoming-2020 | title=3 HBCU Alums on What Makes Homecoming So Meaningful }}</ref><ref>https://safe.menlosecurity.com/https://afro.com/hbcu-shootings-homecoming-safety/</ref><ref>https://safe.menlosecurity.com/https://www.ajc.com/uatl/shootings-at-hbcu-homecomings-may-change-the-way-we-view-annual-rite/75WBDV5DHVCDHPNTLCIN4HOJ6I/</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Education}}
* [[Black Ivy League]]
* [[Colleges in the United States]]
* [[History of education in the Southern United States]]
* [[HBCU band]]
* [[HBCU Library Alliance]]
* [[Honda Campus All-Star Challenge]]
* [[Minority-serving institution]]
* [[National Museum of African American History and Culture]]
* [[Thurgood Marshall College Fund]]
* [[United Negro College Fund]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Arnold |first1=Bruce Makoto |last2=Mitchell |first2=Roland |last3=Arnold |first3=Noelle W. |author-link3=Noelle W. Arnold |date=2015 |title=Massified Illusions of Difference: Photography and the Mystique of the American Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) |journal=Journal of American Studies of Turkey |url=https://www.academia.edu/12369261 |volume=41 |pages=69–94 |access-date=3 September 2019 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Betsey |editor-first1=Charles L. |title=Historically black colleges and universities |date=2011 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=978-1-4128-1219-1}}
* Boonshoft, Mark. "Histories of Nineteenth-Century Education and the Civil War Era."  ''Journal of the Civil War Era''  12.2 (2022): 234–261.
* {{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=F. Erik |last2=Starks |first2=Glenn L. |title=Historically Black colleges and universities: an encyclopedia |url=https://archive.org/details/historicallyblac0000broo |url-access=registration |date=2011 |publisher=Greenwood |isbn=978-0-313-39416-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cohen |first1=Rodney T. |url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780738505541&itm=1/ |title=The Black Colleges of Atlanta (College History Series) |date=2000 |publisher=Arcadia Pub |isbn=978-0-7385-0554-1 |access-date=January 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522205237/http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780738505541&itm=1%2F |archive-date=May 22, 2009 }}
* {{cite book |last=Favors |first=Jelani M. |date=2019 |title=Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-4696-4833-0 |oclc=1048660765}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Gasman |editor-first1=Marybeth |editor-last2=Tudico |editor-first2=Christopher L. |title=Historically Black colleges and universities: triumphs, troubles, and taboos |date=2008 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-60273-1 |edition=1st}}
* {{cite book |last=Harris |first=Adam |date=2021 |title=The State Must Provide: Why America's Colleges Have Always Been Unequal—and How to Set Them Right |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9-gHEAAAQBAJ |location=New York |publisher=Ecco |isbn=978-0-06-297648-2 |oclc=1204635631}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lovett |first1=Bobby L. |title=America's historically Black colleges & universities: a narrative history from the nineteenth century into the twenty-first century |date=2015 |publisher=Mercer University Press |isbn=978-0-88146-534-1 |edition=First}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Mays |first1=Benjamin E. |title=The Significance of the Negro Private and Church-Related College |journal=The Journal of Negro Education |date=1960 |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=245–51 |doi=10.2307/2293639 |issn=0022-2984|jstor=2293639 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Minor |first1=James T. |title=A Contemporary Perspective on the Role of Public HBCUs: Perspicacity from Mississippi |journal=The Journal of Negro Education |date=2008 |volume=77 |issue=4 |pages=323–35 |issn=0022-2984|jstor=25608702 }}
* {{cite web |author=One among the others |date=29 March 2018 |title=Reflections of an HBCU Alumnus (Howard University) |url=https://anuntoldstoryblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/29/reflections-of-an-hbcu-alumnus/ |publisher=Anuntoldstoryblog}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Palmer |editor-first1=Robert T. |editor-last2=Hilton |editor-first2=Adriel A. |editor-last3=Fountaine |editor-first3=Tiffany P. |date=2012 |title=Black graduate education at historically Black colleges and universities trends, experiences, and outcomes |publisher=Information Age Pub |isbn=978-1-61735-852-4}}
* {{cite web |last=Provasnik |first=Stephen |author2=Shafer, Linda L. |year=2004 |title=Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 1976 to 2001 |url=http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004062 |website=National Center for Education Statistics |id=NCES 2004–062}}
* {{Cite book |editor-last=Rascoe |editor-first=Ayesha |year=2024 |title=HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience |location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina |publisher=Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill |isbn=978-1-64375-386-7 |oclc=1378381766}}
* {{cite book |last1=Roebuck |first1=Julian B. |last2=Murty |first2=Komanduri Srinivasa |title=Historically black colleges and universities: their place in American higher education |date=1993 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=978-0-275-94267-0}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Wright |first1=Stephanie R. |title=Self-Determination, Politics, and Gender on Georgia's Black College Campuses, 1875–1900 |journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly |date=2008 |volume=92 |issue=1 |pages=93–119 |issn=0016-8297|jstor=40585040 }}
{{refend}}

===Primary sources===
* {{Cite book |title=Negro Education: A Study of the Private and Higher Schools for Colored People in the United States |url=https://archive.org/details/negroeducationa01fundgoog/page/n10/mode/2up |volume=I |series=Bulletin, 1916, No. 38 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Bureau of Education, Department of the Interior |year=1917}}
* {{Cite book |title=Negro Education: A Study of the Private and Higher Schools for Colored People in the United States |url=https://archive.org/details/ERIC_ED542635 |volume=II |series=Bulletin, 1916, No. 39 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Bureau of Education, Department of the Interior |year=1917}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://nces.ed.gov/COLLEGENAVIGATOR/?s=all&sp=4&pg=1 National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator information about HBCUs]
* [https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/leveling-playing-field-hbcu-athletes HBCU Sports history]
* [https://www.nafeonation.org/ National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education] (NAFEO)—national membership association of all of the nation's HBCUs and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs)

{{HBCU|state=expanded}}
{{African American topics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Historically black colleges and universities}}
[[Category:Historically black universities and colleges in the United States| ]]
[[Category:African Americans and education]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in the United States by subject]]