Spelman College has once again been named the nation’s best Historically Black college, leading the U.S. News & World Report rankings for the 19th consecutive year.
Howard University ranked second, followed by Morehouse College in third. Tuskegee University came in fourth, with Florida A&M University rounding out the top five.
The remainder of the top 10 included:
6. Xavier University of Louisiana
7. Hampton University
8. North Carolina A&T State University
9. Morgan State University
10. Delaware State University
The 2026 edition of the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings evaluated more than 1,700 institutions across the country, measuring academic quality and student success with factors such as graduation rates, student debt and post-graduation earnings.
In total, 77 Historically Black Colleges and Universities were ranked in this year’s report.
HBCUs were ranked only against each other. To qualify, a school must be officially designated as an HBCU by the U.S. Department of Education, grant undergraduate degrees, primarily enroll first-time students and be included in the overall Best Colleges rankings.
U.S. News publishes the list each year to help students and families compare colleges and universities nationwide
