Best Southern HBCUs
This ranking lists 88 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the South, schools established to educate Black students when segregation shut them out of most colleges. Today they remain known for affordability, mentorship, and campus culture, and they welcome students of all backgrounds.
Leading our 2027 rankings is Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, topping our list in the South. Also highly ranked: Xavier University of Louisiana, Fisk University and Tuskegee University.
Compare tuition, enrollment, acceptance rates, and majors across the HBCUs below. Rankings follow the CollegeSimply methodology, blending academics, cost, outcomes, and selectivity. Sort by cost, selectivity, or enrollment to find the school that fits you.
List of HBCUs
Southern University and A & M College
- Public 4 Year
- Baton Rouge, LA
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Southern is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and agriculture. The Baton Rouge campus sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 790-1020
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 35%
- Net Price $18,353
South Carolina State University
- Public 4 Year
- Orangeburg, SC
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| 0 reviews
- Jul 31 application deadline
SC State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate education, business, and biological sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the small city of Orangeburg.
- SAT Range 800-1050
- Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $17,965
Grambling State University
- Public 4 Year
- Grambling, LA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
Grambling is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and criminal justice. The residential campus is in the small town of Grambling in northern Louisiana.
- SAT Range 920-1080
- Avg GPA 3.01
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $17,018
Benedict College
- Private 4 Year
- Columbia, SC
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3.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Benedict is a private historically Black college known for undergraduate business and criminal justice. The urban campus sits in South Carolina's capital city of Columbia.
- SAT Range 820-1010
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $18,665
Texas Southern University
- Public 4 Year
- Houston, TX
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3.0 | 3 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Texas Southern is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and criminal justice. The urban campus is located in Houston's Third Ward.
- SAT Range 800-1000
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $13,584
Virginia Union University
- Private 4 Year
- Richmond, VA
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| 0 reviews
Virginia Union is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate programs in business, education, and social work. The historic urban campus sits on Richmond's North Side.
- SAT Range 850-885
- Avg GPA 2.71
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $11,483
Albany State University
- Public 4 Year
- Albany, GA
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4.0 | 2 reviews
Albany State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in the southwest Georgia city of Albany.
- SAT Range 740-900
- Avg GPA 2.77
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $11,484
Savannah State University
- Public 4 Year
- Savannah, GA
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3.7 | 3 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Savannah State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate marine science. The waterfront campus sits along a tidal marsh on the edge of Savannah.
- SAT Range 845-980
- Avg GPA 2.77
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $7,956
Gadsden State Community College
- Public 2 Year
- Gadsden, AL
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| 0 reviews
Gadsden State is a public community college offering associate degrees and technical certificates in areas such as nursing and industrial trades. Students take classes across multiple campuses serving Gadsden and nearby communities in northeast Alabama.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $3,384
J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College
- Public 2 Year
- Huntsville, AL
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| 0 reviews
Drake State is a public community and technical college known for undergraduate nursing and engineering technology. It is Alabama's only historically Black community and technical college, with a campus in Huntsville.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $6,075
Lawson State Community College
- Public 2 Year
- Birmingham, AL
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| 0 reviews
Lawson State is a public community college known for career-technical and transfer associate degree programs. It is an HBCU with urban campuses in the Birmingham area.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $6,578
Miles College
- Private 4 Year
- Fairfield, AL
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 9 application deadline
Miles is a private historically Black college known for undergraduate business, education, and communications. The campus is in Fairfield in the Birmingham metropolitan area.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.5
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $11,064
Oakwood University
- Private 4 Year
- Huntsville, AL
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1.0 | 1 reviews
Oakwood is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing and theology. The Seventh-day Adventist campus is located in Huntsville.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.99
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $26,730
Bishop State Community College
- Public 2 Year
- Mobile, AL
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1.5 | 2 reviews
Bishop State is a public community college known for undergraduate nursing and allied health programs. It is an HBCU with multiple urban campuses in Mobile.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $5,695
Selma University
- Private 4 Year
- Selma, AL
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| 0 reviews
Selma University is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate theology and ministry programs. The campus is located in Selma along the Alabama River.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.15
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price -
Shelton State Community College
- Public 2 Year
- Tuscaloosa, AL
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| 0 reviews
A public community college known for undergraduate nursing and technical career programs. Most students commute to campuses in the Tuscaloosa area.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $14,539
Stillman College
- Private 4 Year
- Tuscaloosa, AL
-
| 0 reviews
Stillman is a private historically Black liberal arts college with undergraduate programs in business, education, and the sciences. The small campus sits in a residential section of Tuscaloosa.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.9
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $15,152
Talladega College
- Private 4 Year
- Talladega, AL
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| 0 reviews
Talladega is a private historically Black liberal arts college with undergraduate programs in the sciences, business, and the humanities. The historic campus sits in the small city of Talladega in east-central Alabama.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.4
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $1,267