HBCU Rankings 2027: Top 25 Colleges Leading Excellence

Last Updated on September 22, 2026

See how HBCUs are leveling up—explore the top 25 colleges leading in access, impact, and achievement in the HBCU Rankings 2027 list.

Choosing Your HBCU: More Than Just Numbers

Okay, real talk: picking a college still feels like scrolling Netflix with way too many options. Overwhelming. High-stakes. And everybody’s got an opinion. 👀

But if you’ve been eyeing an HBCU? You’re already winning.

These schools aren’t just about degrees. They’re about culture. Legacy. Setting you up to thrive in a world that doesn’t always play fair.

And this year, the U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best HBCU Rankings just dropped. And listen: the board got shaken up more than it has in years. A longtime champion lost a title. A rising public university had its moment. And schools across the board, from Howard to Talladega to Virginia Union, are posting some of the best numbers in their history.

Real ones know: this isn’t just a list. This is a season. 🔥

The Headline: A 7-Year Streak Just Ended

Here’s the part everybody’s talking about.

For seven straight years, Florida A&M University held the title of the nation’s #1 public HBCU. Not anymore.

North Carolina A&T State University came through and said “run it back,” climbing from #8 to #5 overall among all HBCUs (public and private) and becoming the new #1 public HBCU in the country. Let that sink in.

And FAMU? Didn’t fall off. Still a top-6 HBCU nationally, and it just posted its best-ever showing among all public universities nationwide, jumping 13 spots to #79. Real growth. Real momentum. But in the head-to-head public-HBCU race this year, A&T got it.

Even bigger? Spelman College isn’t going anywhere. This marks Spelman’s 20th consecutive year as the #1 HBCU in the country. Two decades. Say less. 👑

This part hits different: A&T’s rise comes the same year the university crossed 15,000 total students, a first for any HBCU in the nation’s history. A decade of investment, showing up right there in the data.

Aggies did that.

What the Rankings Really Mean (and Why They Matter)

Here’s the thing: the U.S. News list isn’t just bragging rights.

Schools are measured on student retention, graduation rates, affordability, and social mobility, which is a fancy way of saying: how well does this school actually help students from lower-income backgrounds level up?

Translation? These rankings don’t just say who’s popular. They show who’s actually moving the needle. For their students. For their communities. For the culture.

Top 25 HBCU Rankings 2027

Here’s the full list, straight from U.S. News:

Rank	HBCU	Location	Type	Tuition & Fees	Undergrad Enrollment
1	Spelman College	Atlanta, GA	Private	$33,608	2,597 (fall 2025)
2	Howard University	Washington, DC	Private	$38,936	11,084 (fall 2025)
3	Tuskegee University	Tuskegee, AL	Private	$27,260	2,880 (fall 2025)
4	Morehouse College	Atlanta, GA	Private	$35,284	3,216 (fall 2025)*
5	North Carolina A&T State University	Greensboro, NC	Public	$6,813 in-state / $20,673 out-of-state	12,497 (fall 2024)**
6 (tie)	Florida A&M University	Tallahassee, FL	Public	$5,785 in-state / $19,431 out-of-state	7,637 (fall 2025)
6 (tie)	Hampton University	Hampton, VA	Private	$31,512	4,046 (fall 2025)
8	Morgan State University	Baltimore, MD	Public	$8,466 in-state / $19,796 out-of-state	9,554 (fall 2025)
9	Xavier University of Louisiana	New Orleans, LA	Private	$32,654	2,579 (fall 2025)
10	Claflin University	Orangeburg, SC	Private	$17,300	1,652 (fall 2025)
11 (tie)	Elizabeth City State University	Elizabeth City, NC	Public	$7,660 in-state / $11,660 out-of-state	2,252 (fall 2025)
11 (tie)	Winston-Salem State University	Winston-Salem, NC	Public	$6,126 in-state / $16,782 out-of-state	4,192 (fall 2024)**
13 (tie)	North Carolina Central University	Durham, NC	Public	$6,929 in-state / $20,357 out-of-state	7,325 (fall 2025)
13 (tie)	Prairie View A&M University	Prairie View, TX	Public	$11,298 in-state / $26,502 out-of-state	9,022 (fall 2025)
13 (tie)	University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Princess Anne, MD	Public	$9,258 in-state / $20,524 out-of-state	2,695 (fall 2025)
16	Delaware State University	Dover, DE	Public	$11,789 in-state / $21,792 out-of-state	4,813 (fall 2025)
17 (tie)	Clark Atlanta University	Atlanta, GA	Private	$31,540	3,714 (fall 2025)
17 (tie)	Lincoln University (PA)	Lincoln University, PA	Public	$13,144 in-state / $19,394 out-of-state	1,424 (fall 2025)
17 (tie)	Virginia State University	Petersburg, VA	Public	$10,679 in-state / $23,169 out-of-state	5,202 (fall 2025)
20 (tie)	Alcorn State University	Lorman, MS	Public	$8,785 (flat rate)	2,469 (fall 2025)
20 (tie)	Bowie State University	Bowie, MD	Public	$9,894 in-state / $21,047 out-of-state	4,810 (fall 2025)
20 (tie)	Fisk University	Nashville, TN	Private	$25,858	1,035 (fall 2024)
23	Dillard University	New Orleans, LA	Private	$23,918	982 (fall 2025)
24 (tie)	Norfolk State University	Norfolk, VA	Public	$10,842 in-state / $23,804 out-of-state	5,828 (fall 2025)
24 (tie)	University of the District of Columbia	Washington, DC	Public	$5,662 in-state / $12,514 out-of-state	3,643 (fall 2025)

Explore the full 2027 U.S. News HBCU Rankings table. See the top 25 Historically Black Colleges and Universities with location, type, tuition & fees, and undergraduate enrollment. (*) Enrollment pending direct confirmation with the school (see internal WS2 compiled findings for sourcing). (**) usnews.com shows fall 2024 data for this school; its own newsroom has since reported higher fall 2025 total enrollment, with an undergraduate-specific breakout not yet officially published.

Source: U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best HBCU Rankings, cross-checked against official school sources where noted.

👉 View the full 2027 Best Colleges Rankings on U.S. News & World Report.

A note on what changed: two schools dropped out of the top 25 entirely this year (Jackson State, now #26, and Fayetteville State, now #27 tied), while two newcomers broke in: Alcorn State and Norfolk State, both new to the top 25 for the first time. Nearly every returning school’s rank shifted at least a little. If you’re comparing this to last year’s list, don’t expect many exact repeats.

Spotlight on Excellence

North Carolina A&T State University (#5): The New #1 Public HBCU 🐾

Okay, A&T… y’all did that.

This is the story of the year, no debate. A&T jumped three full spots, from #8 to #5, and in doing so became the nation’s new #1 public HBCU, ending FAMU’s seven-year run at the top. Even bigger? The timing isn’t a coincidence. A&T also just posted 15,275 total students for fall 2025. An all-time record. And per the university’s own numbers, the first time any HBCU in history has crossed 15,000 enrolled students.

Let that sink in.

Aggie Pride isn’t just a chant. It’s a whole ecosystem of Black excellence, growing, winning, and right now? It’s the one every other public HBCU is chasing.

That’s the HBCU difference. That’s legacy in motion. 💚💛

Florida A&M University (#6, tied): Still Rising, Just a Different Race 🐍

FAMU didn’t lose ground. It changed lanes.

Yes, the seven-year streak as #1 public HBCU is over. But here’s the thing: FAMU climbed 13 spots to #79 among all public universities nationally, its best-ever showing in that category ever, tied with schools like Virginia Commonwealth and Kansas State. President Marva B. Johnson put it plainly: “Moving 13 places to No. 79 and rising to the Top 80 among the nation’s public universities is a meaningful achievement… but it is also a reflection of the determination of our faculty, staff and students to pursue excellence in everything we do.”

Still holding it down. Just proving it in a different arena this year.

Strike, Rattlers, strike. 🐍🔥

Spelman College (#1): 20 Years at the Top 👑

Two decades running at #1. Nobody else in the country can say that.

Spelman has now been named the nation’s #1 HBCU for 20 consecutive years, the entire lifespan of this specific U.S. News ranking category. And the school didn’t just hold the line: Spelman also ranked #2 in Social Mobility and climbed to #34 among National Liberal Arts Colleges overall.

Real ones know: nobody’s catching Spelman anytime soon.

Excellence. Period.

Winston-Salem State University (#11, tied): The Biggest Jump on the Board 📈

When a school moves 11 spots in one year and proves they were never sleeping?! 😮‍💨

Nobody moved further this year than Winston-Salem State. WSSU climbed from #22 to #11, tied with Elizabeth City State University for the biggest single-year jump of any returning school on the list. And the university backed it up with receipts: a record fall 2025 enrollment, up 4.7% year over year.

That’s momentum. Not a one-year fluke.

Howard University (#2): History on the Hilltop 🦬

Howard didn’t move within the HBCU list. Still locked in at #2. But the bigger headline is what happened around it.

So Howard just rose 15 positions to #73 among all National Universities. The highest overall ranking in the university’s history. Ever. Add in #11 for Social Mobility and #34 among Most Innovative Schools, and it’s clear: the Bison are rising, and not just inside the HBCU conversation.

History on the Hilltop. The momentum is real.

It’s Not Just the Top 25: HBCUs Are Having a Moment 💯

Here’s the part that doesn’t always make the headline table: this rankings cycle has been a good one for HBCUs. Top to bottom. Not just the schools you’d expect.

Get this:

• Talladega College earned five top distinctions this year, up from three in 2026, including its first-ever #1 ranking for Best Value Schools in the South.
• Virginia Union University jumped more than 30 positions in Social Mobility and moved into a new, wider peer classification (Regional Universities South) as it keeps growing its academic footprint.
• Oakwood University picked up three national distinctions heading into its Oakwood LIVE event, including a tie for #33 among HBCUs nationally.

And that’s the real story underneath the headline. It’s not just that one school moved up and one school moved down. It’s that HBCUs, across the board: private and public, large and small, are showing up in these rankings with some of their best numbers in years.

This is what it looks like when legacy, investment, and a whole lot of hard work collide. And we love to see it. ✊🏾

Why Social Mobility Is the Game-Changer

More than half the ranking weight comes down to one thing: student outcomes. Graduation. Affordability. Long-term earnings.

Schools like FAMU, North Carolina Central, and Tuskegee continue to lead here. Real proof that HBCUs remain engines of transformation. Not just for individual students. For entire families and communities.

Vibe Check: Choosing Your HBCU

Rankings are receipts. But the real story is vibe: homecoming energy, cafeteria culture, professors who look out for you, and the community you’ll build for life.

Whether you’re stepping onto The Yard at Howard, watching Aggie Pride hit a whole new level at A&T, or feeling that Spelhouse energy in Atlanta: your HBCU choice is about where you feel at home.

Legacy in Motion

This year’s rankings remind us of what HBCUs have always been: launchpads for Black brilliance.

Wherever you land: Spelman, A&T, FAMU, or anywhere else on this list, know this. You’re not just earning a degree. You’re stepping into history. Carrying legacy. Shaping the future.

That’s the HBCU difference.
That’s legacy in motion. ✊🏾

🔥 Ready to find your HBCU fit?

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📊 Want to see the complete 2027 breakdown, methodology, and beyond the top 25? Visit U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges Rankings.

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