U.S. News & World Report has released its 2027 top HBCUs list, with several notable changes since last year. Spelman College and Howard University once again top the list at number one and number two, respectively, but other schools have moved.
Tuskegee University moved from the number 4 spot to number 3 behind Morehouse and Spelman. Also, North Carolina A&T regained its status as the number 1 public HBCU, rising 3 spots from number 8 last year to number 5 on this year's list.
North Carolina A&T also moved past Florida A&M, which dropped from number 5 last year to tied for number 6 this year with Hampton University. Delaware State, which was top 10 in last year's list, has moved out of the top 10 to number 16 on the top HBCU list. Meanwhile, Claflin University has moved into the top 10.
Article Continues BelowU.S. News evaluated 76 historically Black colleges and universities, ranking them based on measures including graduation and retention rates, post-graduate earnings, faculty resources and social mobility. Rather than measuring these schools against national benchmarks, the outlet compared them exclusively against one another, relying on standalone calculations along with a peer assessment survey completed by HBCU leaders.
According to U.S. News, this approach was designed to account for the unique academic environments HBCUs offer, ensuring the rankings capture their contributions on their own terms. The full top ten list is below.
| 2027 Rank | School | 2026 Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spelman College | 1 |
| 2 | Howard University | 2 |
| 3 | Tuskegee University | 3 (tied) |
| 4 | Morehouse College | 5 |
| 5 | North Carolina A&T | 8 |
| T6 | Florida A&M | 3 (tied) |
| T6 | Hampton University | 7 |
| 8 | Morgan State University | 10 |
| 9 | Xavier University of Louisiana | 6 |
| 10 | Claflin University | NR (not ranked in 2026 top 10) |