FAQs About HBCUs


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About HBCUs 
1.  What is an HBCU?
2.  Why are HBCUs still needed?
3.  Who maintains the official list of HBCUs?
4.  How many HBCUs are there?
5.  Where are the HBCUs located?
6.  How many black students are enrolled in HBCUs?
7.  What's the male/female breakdown of HBCU enrollments? 
8.  HBCUs are "historically" Black, but how Black are they today?
9How many degrees are conferred by HBCUs each year?
10. What are the best sources of information about HBCUs?
11. What is the best HBCU?
12. Which HBCUs offer online and/or blended degrees?


1. What is an HBCU?
  • The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: " ... any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation."
2. Why are HBCUs still needed?
3. Who maintains the official list of HBCUs?

The White House Initiative on HBCUs
maintains the official list of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Click here for a video of President Obama's announcement of his Executive Order reaffirming the WHI-HBCUs 

  • Unfortunately, there are many so-called "lists of HBCUs" on the Web that include colleges and universities that are not HBCUs. These additional institutions may have predominantly Black enrollments and may be providing excellent educational services to their students, but they are not on the official list maintained by the White House Initiative. Therefore they are not HBCUs. For example, there are no HBCUs in California or New York or Illinois.

  • Other so-called "lists of HBCUs" are incomplete because they don't include all HBCUs. They leave out some of the lesser known four year colleges and/or some of the community colleges.

  • Then there are the so-called "lists of HBCUs" that are obsolete because they don't use the correct names for the HBCUs that expanded the scope of their services and therefore changed their names from "college" to "university".

  • Finally, there are the so-called "lists of HBCUs" that are obsolete because they still include institutions that have closed.  Note: HBCUs that have lost their accreditation will be dropped from the official White House Initiative list ... eventually.
In summary, the White House Initiative and only the White House Initiative determines which colleges and universities are HBCUs. Therefore the list of HBCUs on any other Website will be valid if and only if it contains all of the colleges and universities on the official list (in MS Word file) posted on the Website maintained by the White House Initiative and only the colleges and universities on that official list.
4. How many HBCUs are there?
There are officially only 106 HBCUs at this time

       Note  -- HBCU #106 (American Baptist College ) was added in March 2013
    

5. Where are the HBCUs located?
The following table shows the distribution of the HBCUs across the Mid-Atlantic, Central, and Southern states. (Note: The addresses and Google maps for each HBCU can be found on the Gateway's Profiles page.)

States
HBCUs


Alabama (AL)
15
Arkansas (AR)
4
District of Columbia (DC)
2
Delaware (DE)
1
Florida (FL)
4
Georgia (GA) 
10
Kentucky (KY)
1
Louisiana (LA)
6
Maryland (MD)
4
Michigan (MI)
1
Missouri (MO)
2
Mississippi (MS)
7
North Carolina (NC)
11
Ohio (OH)
2
Oklahoma (OK)
1
Pennsylvania (PA)
2
South Carolina (SC)
8
Tennessee (TN)
7
Texas (TX)
9
Virginia (VA)
6
Virgin Islands (VI)
1
West Virginia (WV)
2


Total
106
 

6. How many black students are enrolled in HBCUs?
Table 1 (below) displays the enrollments at the 99 accredited HBCUs in the Fall 2010 semester.  

Note #1. Fall 2010 was the most recent data that was available on October 5, 2012 when this note was posted
Note #2: The U.S. Department of Education does not include non-accredited institutions in its databases, so five HBCUs do not appear in Table 1.
Note #3: The five non-accredited HBCUs are small institutions, whose combined enrollment is  less than 10,000
  • Total enrollment at HBCUs = 338,498
  • Black enrollment at HBCUs = 264,136, i.e., 78% of their total enrollment
  • Adding at most 10,000 black students from the five small unaccredited HBCUs = 274,136
  • Total black enrollment at all U.S. accredited institutions = 2,902,749
    Source - NCES Report, Table 1 at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012280.pdf
  • Therefore, the percentage of the nation's black students who are enrolled at HBCUs is approximately 9% ... (274,136 / 2,902,749 * 100)
Table 1 also shows that most HBCUs are small institutions. Specifically, 86 of the 99 enroll less than 5,000 black students; indeed, 67 enroll less than 3,000 black students; on the other hand, no HBCUs enroll more than 13,000 black students. 



  
7. What's the male/female breakdown of HBCU enrollments?
The last column in Table 1 (below) shows the percentage of black students in each HBCU that are female. 
  •  In 76 of the 99 HBCUs, more than 55 percent of the black students are female.


8. HBCUs are "historically" Black, but how Black are they today?
Although their enrollments are becoming more diverse, as can be seen in Table 1 (below) the vast majority of HBCUs continue to be predominantly Black institutions:
  • Black students are more than 90 percent of the enrollments at 47 HBCUs
  • Black students are more than 75 percent of the enrollments at 80 HBCUs
  • Black students are in the minority at only 7 HBCUs



  Table 1. Fall 2010 Enrollment Statistics for the Nation's Accredited HBCUs

HBCU
Total Enrollment Fall 2010
Black Enrollment Fall 2010
Black Percent
Black Males
Black Females
% of Black Who Are Female
Clinton Junior College
143
143
100%
72
71
50%
Lane College
2222
2212
100%
1045
1167
53%
Morris College
1048
1042
99%
454
588
56%
Le Moyne-Owen College
987
979
99%
333
646
66%
Benedict College
3137
3104
99%
1518
1586
51%
Virginia University of Lynchburg
555
546
98%
214
332
61%
Livingstone College
1156
1132
98%
632
500
44%
Tougaloo College
918
897
98%
325
572
64%
Saint Pauls College
566
549
97%
275
274
50%
Jarvis Christian College
522
506
97%
261
245
48%
Selma University
472
457
97%
186
271
59%
Miles College
1668
1612
97%
765
847
53%
Denmark Technical College
1033
995
96%
440
555
56%
Interdenominational Theological Center
411
395
96%
223
172
44%
Saint Augustines College
1508
1449
96%
733
716
49%
Paul Quinn College
226
217
96%
108
109
50%
Paine College
925
884
96%
311
573
65%
Southern University at New Orleans
3165
3020
95%
752
2268
75%
Virginia Union University
1667
1587
95%
755
832
52%
Central State University
2288
2178
95%
1101
1077
49%
Johnson C Smith University
1331
1259
95%
510
749
59%
Morehouse College
2586
2438
94%
2438
0
0%
Fort Valley State University
3728
3510
94%
1453
2057
59%
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
3428
3225
94%
1399
1826
57%
Southern University and A & M College
6897
6480
94%
2344
4136
64%
Voorhees College
752
706
94%
279
427
60%
South Carolina State University
4362
4091
94%
1776
2315
57%
Concordia College Selma
652
611
94%
339
272
45%
Alabama State University
5705
5336
94%
2093
3243
61%
Arkansas Baptist College
1119
1046
93%
660
386
37%
Bennett College for Women
780
729
93%
0
729
100%
Wilberforce University
689
642
93%
275
367
57%
Alabama A & M University
5814
5377
92%
2449
2928
54%
Claflin University
1920
1775
92%
594
1181
67%
Mississippi Valley State University
2636
2435
92%
860
1575
65%
Edward Waters College
769
710
92%
379
331
47%
Bethune-Cookman University
3577
3301
92%
1282
2019
61%
Coahoma Community College
2741
2527
92%
881
1646
65%
Jackson State University
8687
8001
92%
2803
5198
65%
Rust College
960
883
92%
333
550
62%
Howard University
10379
9516
92%
3225
6291
66%
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
13284
12172
92%
4728
7444
61%
Allen University
848
777
92%
314
463
60%
Dillard University
1187
1086
91%
309
777
72%
Alcorn State University
3682
3363
91%
1067
2296
68%
Wiley College
1351
1232
91%
472
760
62%
Philander Smith College
696
632
91%
215
417
66%
Savannah State University
4080
3664
90%
1596
2068
56%
Talladega College
706
634
90%
262
372
59%
Clark Atlanta University
3941
3538
90%
1004
2534
72%
Southwestern Christian College
224
199
89%
103
96
48%
Bowie State University
5578
4951
89%
1774
3177
64%
Virginia State University
5634
4999
89%
1903
3096
62%
Spelman College
2177
1915
88%
0
1915
100%
Hampton University
5254
4619
88%
1635
2984
65%
Coppin State University
3800
3334
88%
760
2574
77%
Oakwood University
1915
1673
87%
728
945
56%
Meharry Medical College
781
678
87%
266
412
61%
Norfolk State University
6964
6023
86%
2102
3921
65%
Prairie View A & M University
8781
7579
86%
2958
4621
61%
Morgan State University
7805
6669
85%
2830
3839
58%
Texas College
927
791
85%
410
381
48%
Albany State University
4653
3970
85%
1290
2680
68%
North Carolina A & T State University
10795
9187
85%
4067
5120
56%
Shaw University
2722
2304
85%
924
1380
60%
Stillman College
1056
893
85%
379
514
58%
Florida Memorial University
1891
1596
84%
585
1011
63%
Harris-Stowe State University
1716
1440
84%
445
995
69%
Texas Southern University
9557
8016
84%
3264
4752
59%
Southern University at Shreveport
2834
2358
83%
574
1784
76%
Tuskegee University
2946
2375
81%
976
1399
59%
Grambling State University
4994
4010
80%
1585
2425
60%
Morehouse School of Medicine
329
262
80%
76
186
71%
Elizabeth City State University
3307
2621
79%
1051
1570
60%
Lawson State Community College-Birmingham Campus
4863
3834
79%
1338
2496
65%
North Carolina Central University
8645
6787
79%
2211
4576
67%
Fisk University
580
454
78%
159
295
65%
Lincoln University of Pennsylvania
2361
1834
78%
727
1107
60%
Langston University
2794
2169
78%
924
1245
57%
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
1586
1190
75%
543
647
54%
Xavier University of Louisiana
3391
2540
75%
660
1880
74%
Winston-Salem State University
6333
4701
74%
1435
3266
69%
University of the Virgin Islands
2733
2024
74%
531
1493
74%
J F Drake State Technical College
1557
1152
74%
420
732
64%
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
4540
3340
74%
1348
1992
60%
Delaware State University
3757
2722
72%
1008
1714
63%
Huston-Tillotson University
901
645
72%
302
343
53%
Fayetteville State University
5781
4044
70%
1271
2773
69%
Tennessee State University
8930
6150
69%
2215
3935
64%
Hinds Community College
12811
7870
61%
n/a
n/a
n/a
H Councill Trenholm State Technical College
1758
1077
61%
456
621
58%
Bishop State Community College
3725
2214
59%
645
1569
71%
Kentucky State University
2851
1651
58%
692
959
58%
University of the District of Columbia
5521
2705
49%
960
1745
65%
Lincoln University
3349
1242
37%
583
659
53%
Shelton State Community College
6075
2080
34%
761
1319
63%
Gadsden State Community College
7031
1474
21%
489
985
67%
West Virginia State University
3190
488
15%
232
256
52%
St Philip's College
10828
1471
14%
509
962
65%
Bluefield State College
2063
226
11%
89
137
61%
Totals
338498
264146





Source: Enrollment data was obtained from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS Data Center. The enrollment of each HBCU can also be found on the Gateway's Profiles page.



9. How many degrees are conferred by HBCUs each year?
Table 2 (below) shows the number of associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees awarded by to black students in the 2009/2010 academic year. The second column shows the degrees awarded by all institutions, the third column shows the degrees awarded by HBCUs, and the fourth column shows the percentage of all degrees awarded by HBCUs.
  • As can be seen from the last row in Table 2, HBCUs awarded 10 percent of the degrees awarded to black students by all accredited U.S. institutions in the 2009/2010 academic year
     
  • Their small 2 percent share of associates degrees reflects the fact that only 14 of the 105 HBCUs are two year institutions 

  Table 2. Degrees Conferred on Black Students by All U.S. Institutions
                     and by HBCUs in the 2009/2010 Academic Year

Degrees
All
 Institutions
HBCUs
Percent
Associates
113,905
2100
2%
Bachelors
164,844
26897
16%
Masters
76,458
5563
7%
Doctoral
10,417
1281
12%
Total
365,624
35841
10%

  Sources = Degrees for all institutions from NCES report
                   at http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=72

                    
                   Degrees for all HBCUs from IPEDS data center
                   at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/

  
Note #4: The IPEDs data center for the HBCU group did not include
                  Hinds Community College; this data was retrieved by a
                  separate search




10. What are the best sources of information about HBCUs?
  • By far, the best sources of information about HBCUs are their Websites. You will find links to all of the HBCU Websites on the Gateway's HBCU Profiles page.
  • At the present time, the Gateway to HBCUs is the most reliable source of information about the current academic activities of HBCUs
  • Up-to-date, comprehensive information about HBCUs, with emphasis on student and alumi activities, is offered by HBCU service providers on their Web pages and twitter, e.g., HBCU Buzz & @HBCUBuzz , HBCU Career Center & @HBCUCareerCntr, HBCU Connect & @HBCU, HBCU Digest & @HBCUDigest, HBCU Lifestyle & @HBCU_Lifestyle
  • The most comprehensive sources of information about the historical achievements of HBCUs, e.g., their most notable alumni, are the richly interlinked pages of Wikipedia.
11. What is the Best HBCU?
  • The DLL has long maintained that there is no such thing as "the best HBCU" ... Students have different resources, preparations, and aspirations. So the real question is, "What is the best HBCU for YOU?"
  • The DLL has suggested guidelines for selecting HBCUs in its note, "The Best HBCU
12. Which HBCUs offer online and/or blended degree programs?
Last updated:10 June 2013
© 2014 -- Digital Learning Lab (DLL) 

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