Historically black colleges and universities, most frequently referred to as HBCUs, represent over 100 2-year and 4-year, public and private colleges and universities that were established by the federal government to serve the educational needs of black Americans.

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were established to serve the educational needs of black Americans. Prior to the time of their establishment, and for many years afterwards, blacks were generally denied admission to predominately white institutions (PWIs). As a result, HBCUs became the principle means for providing postsecondary education to black Americans.

Today, HBCUs must fulfill educational goals far beyond those initially set. President George Bush described the unique mission of black colleges as follows:

“At a time when many schools barred their doors to black Americans, these colleges offered the best, and often the only, opportunity for a higher education.” (2018 U.S. Department of Education)

The HBCU Pages website provides an easy to navigate listing of HBCUs that can be sorted in such ways as by state, city, cost, and admission standards. A complete listing of HBCUs, together with comprehensive data of cost and student demographics is available at the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics.

HBCUs can provide unique opportunities for students in both the highest and lowest GPA and test score ranges. Many HBCUs offer full merit-based scholarship opportunities for students with high GPAs and test scores, such as the Distinguished Presidential Scholarship at Tuskegee University and Board of Trustees Scholarship at Xavier University of Louisiana. For students at the lower range of GPAs and test scores, many HBCUs offer less restrictive admissions policies including 40 institutions that have no SAT/ACT Score requirements, such as Voorhees College, Virginia Union, and Benedict.

Many HBCUs have relationships with other institutions through dual degree programs and domestic exchange programs in which students may attend Ivy League partner institutions. You may visit each college’s website or perform an Internet search on the phrase “college name + dual degree program” to identify dual degree opportunities such as the 3-2 (Physics and Electrical Engineering) program between North Carolina Central University and North Carolina State University. You may perform an Internet search on the phrase “college name + domestic exchange program” to identify domestic exchange programs such as the Spelman College domestic exchange programs with such schools as Dartmouth, Duke, NYU, and Stanford. Some HBCUs also offer domestic exchange programs with colleges in their state, such as the UNC Exchange Programs.

Many HBCUs offer Honors College Programs, some of which may offer partial to full scholarships. Visit each college’s website or perform an Internet search on the phrase “college name + honors college” to identify honors college programs like theShaw University Honors College. For many students, HBCUs offer a unique level of support and access to internship opportunities with corporate partners and industry professionals. In the case of one Xavier University student, her professor submitted an application for a full fellowship to the Columbia University Graduate School. Needless to say, she was speechless when she opened the letter offering the full, all-expenses paid graduate fellowship to Columbia University where she went on to receive her master's degree.

The following video shares student experiences at the HBCU in LA Internship.