These 20 HBCUs are delivering strong outcomes for graduates
TheGrio...
The ranking highlights 20 public and private institutions for alumni earnings, affordability, and return on investment while reflecting a broader conversation about how HBCUs support students.
For generations, historically Black colleges and universities have prepared Black students to enter industries, build communities, and become leaders, often while operating with fewer financial resources than their predominantly white counterparts.
A new Forbes list is examining which HBCUs are delivering some of the strongest results for students after graduation.
Howard University ranked first among private HBCUs, while North Carolina A&T State University led the public institutions on Forbes’ list of 20 historically Black colleges and universities that “set grads up for success.”
Spelman College followed Howard at No. 2 among private schools, with Morehouse College, Xavier University of Louisiana and Hampton University completing the top five. Tuskegee University ranked sixth.
Among public HBCUs, Florida A&M University followed North Carolina A&T, while Prairie View A&M University earned the third spot. Forbes noted that Prairie View, founded in 1876, is the oldest public HBCU in Texas and the state’s second-oldest public institution.
Rather than placing all HBCUs into one category, Forbes separated public and private institutions, recognizing the different financial structures and resources available to each group.
The ranking draws from Forbes’ broader college evaluation, which considers factors including alumni earnings, student debt, graduation rates, retention and return on investment. Howard was also named Forbes’ top HBCU in the publication’s 2026 America’s Top Colleges rankings, marking the second consecutive year it received the distinction.
Those measures are increasingly important as students and families question whether the rising price of college will translate into greater financial stability.
For many Black families, that calculation carries additional weight. The racial wealth gap can leave students more dependent on scholarships, grants and loans to complete their degrees. Schools that help students graduate, enter their chosen careers and manage their debt are not simply handing out diplomas. They are creating pathways toward economic mobility.
That has long been central to the HBCU mission.
Howard, Spelman, Morehouse, Xavier and Hampton have produced generations of leaders in medicine, law, politics, journalism, business and the arts. Public institutions such as North Carolina A&T, FAMU and Prairie View have become major pipelines into engineering, agriculture, education, public service and other fields that shape Black communities and the broader economy.
The timing of the ranking also reflects a larger national conversation about what it means for an HBCU to prepare and support its students.
Howard, for example, recently faced questions after more than 500 incoming first-year students were removed from the fall class over financial, administrative or immunization requirements. More than 200 of those students have since been readmitted as university officials continue working with affected families. Howard’s interim president maintained that the university communicated its requirements, while some families reported difficulty getting answers during the initial fallout.
The situation does not cancel out Howard’s academic record or the achievements of its graduates. Instead, it illustrates how student success begins long before a graduate receives a first paycheck. Clear communication, accessible financial-aid processes and responsive administration can also determine whether a student reaches commencement.
Tuskegee has been part of a different conversation after introducing updated dress, attendance and cellphone policies for the new academic year. Its restrictions on bonnets, du-rags, pajamas and bedroom shoes in certain campus spaces sparked debate about professionalism, Black cultural expression and respectability politics.
The discussion soon expanded beyond Tuskegee’s specific policy, with critics using the moment to question HBCU graduation rates more broadly.
Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones pushed back against those comparisons, arguing that HBCUs frequently educate larger percentages of first-generation and Pell-eligible students than elite predominantly white institutions. She described HBCUs as some of the country’s most important drivers of Black economic mobility and warned against discussing their outcomes without acknowledging the populations they serve.
That context is essential.
Rankings can provide useful information, but numbers alone cannot capture every obstacle HBCUs and their students face. An institution educating large numbers of low-income and first-generation students may be doing transformative work even when its raw graduation rate does not resemble that of a wealthy university serving students with considerably more financial support.
The Forbes list offers one way to recognize that work by emphasizing what happens to graduates after they leave campus.
It also gives prospective students more schools to consider beyond the handful of HBCUs that receive the most national attention. The list spans different regions, campus sizes, academic specialties and traditions, reminding families that there is no single version of the HBCU experience.
Students may choose a school because of its engineering program, medical-school pipeline, alumni network, affordability or sense of community. Some will want the energy of a large public university. Others may prefer the environment of a smaller private institution.
No ranking can make that deeply personal decision for them.
Still, Forbes’ recognition of 20 HBCUs sends a valuable message at a time when the institutions continue confronting underfunding, political attacks on diversity and questions about the future of higher education.
HBCUs are not perfect, and celebrating their accomplishments should not place them beyond thoughtful criticism. Students and families deserve institutions that communicate clearly, respond when problems arise and continually examine whether their policies are helping students thrive.
But accountability and appreciation do not have to compete.
Howard and Tuskegee’s recent challenges are part of a much larger story that includes academic excellence, professional preparation and generations of Black achievement. They should not overshadow the other institutions on the list or the thousands of graduates whose success demonstrates why HBCUs remain essential.
Forbes’ ranking ultimately confirms something HBCU alumni have known for generations: These institutions are not relics of the past. They remain powerful investments in Black talent, leadership and possibility.