Little Known HBCU Facts

HBCUs enroll upwards of 370,000 students and graduate a significant share of all African Americans receiving degrees. While comprising only three percent of the nation's 3,688 institutions of higher learning, the 105 HBCUs are responsible for producing approximately 23 percent of all bachelor's degrees, 13 percent of all master's degrees, and 20 percent of all first professional degrees earned by African Americans annually. Black colleges and universities contribute to the continuing rise of black intellectuals, professionals, and creative artists which is so evident throughout American society.

• Nine of the top ten colleges that graduate most of the African American students who go on to earn Ph.D.s are HBCUs.

• More than 50 percent of the nation's African American public school teachers and 70 percent of African American dentists and physicians earned degrees at HBCUs.
• Over half of all African American professionals are graduates of HBCUs
• In 2000, Xavier University in New Orleans individually produced more successful African American medical school applicants (94) than Johns Hopkins (20), Harvard (37), and the University of Maryland (24) combined. Two other HBCUs also placed in the top ten producers of medical school applicants, including Morehouse (33), and Spelman (38).
• Spelman and Bennett Colleges produce over half of the nation's African American women who go on to earn doctorates in all science fields; more than produced by the Ivy League's Seven Sisters combined (Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Wellesley, and Vassar Colleges).
• HBCUs significantly contribute to the creation of African American science degree holders: agriculture (51.6 percent), biology (42.2 percent), computer science (35 percent), physical science (43 percent), and social science (23.2 percent).
• HBCUs produce 44 percent of all African American bachelor's degrees awarded for communications technology, 33 percent of bachelor's degrees awarded for engineering technology, and 43 percent of bachelor's degrees awarded for mathematics, and
• HBCUs produce 40 percent of all African American doctorate degrees awarded for Communications.

Source: http://thinkhbcu.org/hbcu_facts.htm