Historically Black Colleges & Universities

There are currently 108 operational Historically Black Colleges & Universities, or HBCUs, in the United States. While these schools span the length of the country, the great state of Texas happens to have nine of the best historically black colleges in the USA. 

If you are wondering why you should choose an HBCU in the first place, check out this great blog post.

If you want a little bit more guidance in your college application process, check out this guide from Empowerly on getting a great college admissions application essay in this post that explains how to write an impactful college admissions essay. 

Empowerly has information about HBCUs across the USA. There are more HBCUs listed but this at the end, but this article will primarily focus on HBCUs that are located in the Lone Star State.

Check out Empowerly’s blog for more information about HBCUs across the United States. 

HBCUs in Texas include (in no particular order): 

1. Huston-Tillotson University
2. Jarvis Christian College
3. Paul Quinn College
4. Prairie View A&M University
5. Southwestern Christian College
6. St, Philip’s College
7. Texas College
8. Texas Southern College
9. Wiley College 

Each college has its own aspects that make it unique and attractive to students. Let’s get started and dig into this list of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the USA to discover what each of these HBCUs has to offer. 

Huston-Tillotson University located in Austin, Texas was established in 1875. As one of the oldest schools on our list of HBCUs in Texas, it also happens to be a great school for students who would like to study business or liberal arts while living in the capital of Texas. Hutson-Tillotson is associated with the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ. It offers associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degrees, so it has something for everyone looking to attend higher education. 

Jarvis Christian College is located in Hawkins, right outside of Tyler in the Piney Woods of East Texas. It was founded in 1912. It offers evening courses and is known for its small student-to-teacher ratio. It offers degrees in criminal justice, kinesiology, business, and many other areas. 

Paul Quinn College is an HBCU that is located in Dallas. Paul Quinn was established in 1872. It is affiliated with the Methodist church. Among the oldest on this list of HBCUs in Texas, this college boasts the title of the oldest Historically Black College west of the Mississippi River. It also happens to have the title of the first urban work college in the United States. Its faith-based mission is to prepare its students to be “servant leaders and agents of change in the global marketplace.” 

Part of the highly esteemed A&M University system, Prairie View A&M University is located in Prairie View, Texas. This HBCU was established in 1876 alongside the main campus of Texas A&M University. It offers 50 academic majors, 37 different master’s degrees, and it offers four doctoral degrees. It also happens to be one of only two colleges in Texas to earn the distinction of a land grant university. 

Located in Terrell, Texas, Southwestern Christian College was founded in 1948 with a starting class of just under 50 students. This private HBCU is affiliated with Churches of Christ. This school has a smaller, more familial atmosphere that is appreciated by many. This is a great HBCU for anyone interested in pursuing an associate’s degree alongside a more close-knit community of scholars with a student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1. 

St. Philip’s College is an HBCU located in San Antonio, Texas. St. Philip’s was founded in 1898 by the Protestant Episcopal Church. St. Philip’s College is known for being both a Hispanic Serving Institution and a Historically Black College. It has a fairly large student population with over 11,000 students enrolled, studying over 70 different subject areas. This is an excellent choice for anyone interested in attending an HBCU in the Lone Star State. 

Texas College is an HBCU located in Tyler, Texas. Texas College is a Christian Methodist Episcopal college founded in 1894. This school is known for its wide variety of programs and offerings for students with diverse interests. A great school for anyone looking for a more elite education, Texas College takes pride in its academic offerings and programs. 

Texas Southern University was founded in Houston in 1927. This college boasts over 100 highly esteemed academic programs and a relatively large enrollment of nearly 10,000 students. Texas Southern University is home to impressive academic programs as well as highly regarded academics. For students interested in continuing their pursuit of music at the collegiate level, the school’s band, Ocean of Soul is a great option to consider. 

One of the oldest HBCUs west of the Mississippi River, Wiley College was founded in Marshall, Texas in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Wiley College is a four-year private HBCU. As one of the more historical colleges in the state, Wiley has made a great impact on the academic landscape of Texas since its founding. 

As you can tell, there is a wide variety of HBCUs located across the great state of Texas. Anyone considering attending an HBCU should consider these highly esteemed colleges in the Lone Star State. Interested students should consider the size of the student population they would like to become a part of. Another factor that deserves consideration is whether you would prefer to attend a private or public institution of higher learning. 

As is typically the case with private and public colleges, private schools tend to be more expensive than public schools, and public schools tend to be more heavily populated than private schools. Another major factor to consider when choosing an HBCU in Texas is the location. There are HBCUs located across the state, some of which are located in more urban areas than others. Whether you attend an HBCU in a larger city or a more rural area will ultimately play a role in your college experience. 

It truly does all come down to personal preference. You cannot go wrong with any of these Texan institutions of higher learning. In fact, you honestly cannot go wrong with any HBCUs. Check out this list of the 104 currently active HBCUs located in the USA. 

1. Alabama A&M University 
2. Alabama State University 
3. Albany State University
4. Alcorn State University 
5. Llen University
6. American Baptist College 
7. Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of
8. Arkansas Baptist College
9. Barber-Scotia College 
10. Benedict College 
11. Bennett College 
12. Bethune-Cookman University 
13. Bishop State Community College
14. Bluefield State College
15. Bowie State University
16. Carver College
17. Central State University 
18. Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
19. Claflin University
20. Clark Atlanta University 
21. Clinton College 
22. Coahoma Community College
23. Coppin State University
24. Delaware State University
25. Denmark Technical College
26. Dillard University
27. District of Columbia, University of the 
28. Edward Waters University
29. Elizabeth City State University
30. Fayetteville State University 
31. Fisk University 
32. Florida A&M University 
33. Florida Memorial University
34. Fort Valley State University
35. Gadsden State Community College (Valley Street Campus) 
36. Grambling State University
37. Hampton University
38. Harris-Stowe State University
39. Hind Community College at Utica
40. Hood Theological
41. Howard University
42. Huston-Tillotson University
43. Interdenominational Theological Center
44. J. F. Drake State Technical College
45. Jackson State University
46. Jarvis Christian College
47. Johnson C. Smith University
48. Kentucky State University
49. Knoxville College
50. Lane College
51. Langston University
52. Lawson State Community College 
53. LeMoyne-Owen College
54. The Lincoln University
55. Lincoln University
56. Livingstone College
57. Maryland Eastern Shore, University of 
58. Meharry Medical College
59. Miles College 
60. Miles School of Law
61. Mississippi Valley State University
62. Morehouse College
63. Morehouse School of Medicine
64. Morgan State University
65. Morris Brown College
66. Morris College
67. Norfolk State University
68. North Carolina A&T State University
69. North Carolina Central University
70. Oakwood University
71. Paine College 
72. Paul Quinn College 
73. Payne Theological 
74. Philander Smith College 
75. Prairie View A&M University
76. Rust College
77. Savannah State University
78. Selma University
79. Shaw University
80. Shelton State Community College (C A Fredd Campus) 
81. Shorter College
82. Simmons College of Kentucky
83. South Carolina State University
84. Southern University at New Orleans 
85. Southern University at Shreveport 
86. Southern University and A&M College 
87. Southwestern Christian College
88. Spelman College 
89. St. Augustine’s University 
90. St. Philip’s College 
91. Stillman College 
92. Talladega College 
93. Tennessee State University
94. Texas College 
95. Texas Southern University
96. Tougaloo College
97. H. Councill Trenholm State Community College
98. Tuskegee University
99. Virgin Islands, University of the 
100. Virginia State University
101. Virginia Union University
102. Virginia University of Lynchburg
103. Voorhees University
104. West Virginia State University 
105. Wilberforce University
106. Wiley College
107. Winston-Salem State University 
108. Xavier University of Louisiana

This list was sourced from The Hundred-Seven, which is an organization named after the original 107 HBCUs in the country. It strives to promote and support higher education institutions for Black students. If you would like to learn more about Historically Black Colleges in the USA, or any other institutions for higher education, check out all that Empowerly has to offer. Choosing a college can be difficult - let us help simplify the application process, from start to finish.