What is an HBCU?

The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities defines HBCUs in the following manner:

HBCUs are a source of accomplishment and great pride for the African American community as well as the entire nation. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.” HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public and private sectors.

To find our more about HBCUs, including a complete listing by state of HBCU accredited schools, we invite you to visit The U.S. Dept. of Ed HBCU site.

The Common Black College Application, CBCA, allows students to complete a single document and submit it to up to 50 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Member institutions will honor the CBCA as if it were their own application.

Users of the CBCA, incur a one-time fee of $35, which allows them to apply to multiple colleges at one time and the schools that accept the application do not charge anything extra for additional materials.

Visit the Common Black College Application site to find out which schools participate and process your application.