If you are looking for a good college to attend you may want to try a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). HBCUs are a mix of public and private higher education institutions that provide 4-year college undergraduate programs and in many cases graduate and doctorate education. HBCUs qualify as "historically black" if they were established prior to 1964. The 1964 year is significant because it was the Higher Education Act of 1965 that defined federal funding guidelines for HBCU.
Many HBCUs were founded in the early years after the Civil War as a result of the second Morrill Act of 1890, which required states to establish a separate land grant colleges for blacks who were being excluded from the land grant colleges established by the first Morrill Act of 1863. Today there are 105 historically black colleges and universities in existence, mostly located in the southern and eastern United States.
According to a 2010 study performed by U.S. News & World Report the top 10 HBCUs are as follows:
1. Spelman College - Atlanta, GA
2. Howard University - Washington, DC
3. Morehouse College - Atlanta, GA
4. Fisk University - Nashville, TN
5. Xavier University - New Orleans, LA
6. Hampton University - Hampton, VA
7. Tuskegee University - Tuskegee, AL
8. Claflin University - Orangeburg, SC
9. Dillard University - New Orleans, LA
10. North Carolina Central University - Durham, NC
For information on the ranking system used by U.S. News & World Report, click here. For a complete list of HBCUs, click this link to Wikipedia. The list contains links to each HBCU website as well as links to information about the cities and states where the HBCU resides.
Many historically prominent and contemporary figures attended and graduated from HBCUs (from Thurgood Marshall to Keenan Ivory Wayans). For a list of some prominent HBCU alumni, click here.
In 2004, the US Department of Education published a study of HBCUs that found that, as of 2001, HBCUs accounted for 13% of black higher education enrollment.
Some historically black colleges now are more white than black. For example Bluefield State College and West Virginia State University both have student populations that are approximately a 90% white.
27 of the 105 HBCU in America today offer PHD programs. 52 of them HBCUs offer graduate degrees.
Many HBCUs are struggling financially and can use your support. If you are in a position to lend financial support, donating to a HBCU is a perfect way to invest in the education of the next generation of leaders.
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