Forbes magazine recently published a list of the top 10 private and top 10 public historically Black colleges and universities based on how well the HBCUs set their graduates up for success. The ranking is based on a variety of measurements, including retention and graduation rates, median income of alumni, and how much debt students carry.
According to Forbes, the top private HBCU for post-graduation success is Howard University in Washington, D.C., which has a six-year graduation rate of 69 percent. Among Howard alumni, median early-career pay is $70,600 and median mid-career pay is $123,200.
Spelman College in Atlanta ranks second; the women’s college has the highest graduation rate of any HBCU, with 76 percent of Spelman students graduating within six years. Coming in third place is Morehouse College in Atlanta, which has the highest median pay among alumni. Early-career median pay for Morehouse graduates is $71,800, and mid-career median pay is $126,700.
Rounding out the top 10 private HBCUs are Xavier University of Louisiana, Hampton University in Virginia, Tuskegee University in Alabama, Fisk University in Tennessee, Talladega College in Alabama, Clark Atlanta University, and Tougaloo College in Mississippi.
The top public HBCU for graduate success is North Carolina A&T State University, according to Forbes. The university has a six-year graduation rate of 55 percent, and the HBCU’s alumni have a median early-career pay of $68,700 and a median mid-career pay of $116,300.
Florida A&M University is listed as the second-best public HBCU for graduate success, and Prairie View A&M University in Texas is listed in third place.
Morgan State University in Baltimore, the University of the Virgin Islands, Tennessee State University, Bowie State University in Maryland, Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, and Delaware State University are also listed among the country’s best public HBCUs.
