Institutions
Current Institutions
Alabama A&M University
Normal, Alabama
Founded as “Colored Normal School at Huntsville”.
Alabama State University
Montgomery, Alabama
Founded as “Lincoln Normal School of Marion”.
Albany State University
Albany, Georgia
Founded as “Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute”.
Alcorn State University
Lorman, Mississippi
Founded as “Alcorn University” in honor of James L. Alcorn.
Allen University
Columbia, South Carolina
Founded as “Payne Institute”.
American Baptist College
Nashville, Tennessee
Federal designation as a historically Black college or university was awarded on March 20, 2013 by the U.S. Education Department.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Founded as “Branch Normal College”.
Arkansas Baptist College
Little Rock, Arkansas
Founded as “Minister’s Institute”.
Barber-Scotia College
Concord, North Carolina
Founded as two institutions, Scotia Seminary and Barber Memorial College.
Benedict College
Columbia, South Carolina
Founded as “Benedict Institute”.
Bennett College
Greensboro, North Carolina
Founded as “Bennett Seminary”.
Bethune-Cookman University
Daytona Beach, Florida
Founded as “Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls”.
Bishop State Community College
Mobile, Alabama
Originally a branch of Albany State University.
Bluefield State College
Bluefield, West Virginia
Founded as “Bluefield Colored Institute”.
Central State University
Wilberforce, Ohio
Originally a department at Wilberforce University.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Cheyney, Pennsylvania
The oldest HBCU. Founded by Quaker philanthropist Richard Humphreys as “Institute for Colored Youth”.
Claflin University
Orangeburg, South Carolina
Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, Georgia
Originally two institutions, Clark College and Atlanta University.
Clinton College
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Founded as “Clinton Institute”.
Coahoma Community College
Coahoma County, Mississippi
Founded as “Coahoma County Agricultural High School”.
Coppin State University
Baltimore, Maryland
Founded as “Colored High School”.
Delaware State University
Dover, Delaware
Founded as “The State College for Colored Students”.
Denmark Technical College
Denmark, South Carolina
Founded as “Denmark Area Trade School”.
Dillard University
New Orleans, Louisiana
Founding predecessor institutions: “Straight University” and “New Orleans University”.
University of the District of Columbia
Washington, District of Columbia
Founded as “Miner Normal School”.
Edward Waters College
Jacksonville, Florida
Founded as “Brown Theological Institute”.
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Founded as “Howard School”.
Fisk University
Nashville, Tennessee
Named for Clinton Bowen Fisk.
Florida A&M University
Tallahassee, Florida
Founded as “State Normal College for Colored Students”.
Florida Memorial University
Miami Gardens, Florida
Founded as “Florida Baptist Institute in Live Oak”.
Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley, Georgia
Founded as “Fort Valley High and Industrial School”.
Gadsden State Community College
Gadsden, Alabama
Founded as “Alabama School of Trades”.
Grambling State University
Grambling, Louisiana
Founded as “Colored Industrial and Agricultural School”.
Hampton University
Hampton, Virginia
Founded as “Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute”.
Harris-Stowe State University
St. Louis, Missouri
Founded as “St. Louis Normal School” for whites in 1857, with Stowe Teachers College begun in 1890 for blacks; merged in 1954.
Hinds Community College at Utica
Utica, Mississippi
Founded as “Utica Junior College”.
Howard University
Washington, District of Columbia
Founded as “Howard Normal and Theological School for the Education of Teachers and Preachers”.
Huston-Tillotson University
Austin, Texas
Founded as “Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute”.
Interdenominational Theological Center
Atlanta, Georgia
J. F. Drake State Technical College
Huntsville, Alabama
Founded as “Huntsville State Vocational Technical School”.
Jackson State University
Jackson, Mississippi
Founded as “Natchez Seminary” by the American Baptist Home Mission Society, became public in 1942.
Jarvis Christian College
Hawkins, Texas
Johnson C. Smith University
Charlotte, North Carolina
Founded as “Biddle Memorial Institute”.
Kentucky State University
Frankfort, Kentucky
Founded as “State Normal School for Colored Persons”.
Knoxville College
Knoxville (Mechanicsville), Tennessee
Lane College
Jackson, Tennessee
Founded as “Colored Methodist Episcopal High School”.
Langston University
Langston, Oklahoma
Founded as “Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University”.
Lawson State Community College
Bessemer, Alabama
LeMoyne-Owen College
Memphis, Tennessee
Founded as “LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School” (elementary school until 1870).
Lincoln University
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Founded as “Ashmun Institute”.
Lincoln University of Missouri
Jefferson City, Missouri
Founded as “Lincoln Institute”.
Livingstone College
Salisbury, North Carolina
Founded as “Zion Wesley Institute”.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Princess Anne, Maryland
Founded as “Delaware Conference Academy”.
Meharry Medical College
Nashville, Tennessee
Founded as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College.
Miles College
Fairfield, Alabama
Known until 1941 as “Miles Memorial College”; named after Bishop William H. Miles.
Mississippi Valley State University
Itta Bena, Mississippi
Founded as “Mississippi Vocational College”.
Morehouse College
Atlanta, Georgia
Founded as “Augusta Institute”.
Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Founded as a part of Morehouse College.
Morgan State University
Baltimore, Maryland
Founded as “Centenary Biblical Institute”.
Morris Brown College
Atlanta, Georgia
Named after the second Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Morris College
Sumter, South Carolina
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Virginia
Founded as “Norfolk Unit of Virginia State University”.
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
Greensboro, North Carolina
Founded as “The Agricultural & Mechanical College for the Colored Race”.
North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina
Founded as “National Religious Training School and Chautauqua”.
Oakwood University
Huntsville, Alabama
Founded as “Oakwood Industrial School”.
Paine College
Augusta, Georgia
Founded as “Paine Institute”.
Paul Quinn College
Dallas, Texas
Named for William Paul Quinn.
Payne Theological Seminary
Wilberforce, Ohio
Named for Bishop Daniel Payne. Founded as a seminary with Wilberforce University in 1856. Later became Payne Theological Seminary in 1894.
Philander Smith College
Little Rock, Arkansas
Founded as “Walden Seminary”.
Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View, Texas
Founded as “Alta Vista Agriculture & Mechanical College for Colored Youth”.
Rust College
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Known as “Shaw University” until 1882.
Savannah State University
Savannah, Georgia
Founded as “Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth”.
Selma University
Selma, Alabama
Founded as “Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School”.
Shaw University
Raleigh, North Carolina
Shorter College
Little Rock, Arkansas
Two-year college; founded as “Bethel University”.
Shelton State Community College
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Founded as “J.P. Shelton Trade School”.
Simmons College
Louisville, Kentucky
Founded as Kentucky Normal Technological Institute.
South Carolina State University
Orangeburg, South Carolina
Founded as “Colored, Normal, Industrial, Agricultural, and Mechanical College of South Carolina”.
Southern University at New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
Founded as a branch unit of Southern University in Baton Rouge.
Southern University at Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Part of the Southern University System.
Southern University and A&M College
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Conceptualized by P. B. S. Pinchback, T. T. Allain, and Henry Demas.
Southwestern Christian College
Terrell, Texas
Founded as “Southern Bible Institute”.
Spelman College
Atlanta, Georgia
Founded as “Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary”.
St. Augustine's University
Raleigh, North Carolina
St. Philip's College
San Antonio, Texas
Founded as “St. Philip's Sewing Class for Girls”.
Stillman College
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Founded as Tuscaloosa Institute, the College was a concept of Reverend Dr. Charles Allen Stillman, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Tuscaloosa.
Talladega College
Talladega County, Alabama
Known as “Swayne School” until 1869.
Tennessee State University
Nashville, Tennessee
Founded as “Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School”.
Texas College
Tyler, Texas
Texas Southern University
Houston, Texas
Founded as “Texas State University for Negroes”.
Tougaloo College
Hinds County, Mississippi
Founded as “Tougaloo University”.
Trenholm State Technical College
Montgomery, Alabama
Founded as “John M. Patterson Technical School”.
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee, Alabama
Founded as Tuskegee Institute, now a National Historic Site.
University of the Virgin Islands
St. Croix & St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands
Founded as “College of the Virgin Islands”.
Virginia State University
Petersburg, Virginia
Founded as “Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute at Petersburg”.
Virginia Union University
Richmond, Virginia
Founded as “Wayland Seminary,” and merged with Richmond Institute (1865) in 1889.
Virginia University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
Founded as “Lynchburg Baptist Seminary”.
Voorhees College
Denmark, South Carolina
Founded as “Denmark Industrial School”.
West Virginia State University
Institute, West Virginia
Founded as “West Virginia Colored Institute”.
Wilberforce University
Wilberforce, Ohio
Named for William Wilberforce.
Wiley College
Marshall, Texas
Named for Isaac William Wiley.
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Founded as “Slater Industrial and State Normal School”.
Xavier University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
Founding predecessor institutions: “St. Katharine Drexel” and the “Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament”.
Defunct Institutions
Avery College
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Though the records are scant, it appears that Avery College suspended operations in 1873, the year of a great nationwide financial panic. Trustees considered selling the school property to the marker University of Western Pennsylvania (University of Pittsburgh), which had reluctantly accepted Avery's donation to assist in educating a handful of African-American students.
Nothing came of the negotiations, however, and Avery College never reopened. As late as 1908, the trustees were debating whether to establish a manual training school or a hospital and nursing school facility on the property. Years later the original three-story building was demolished to make way for a new highway project.
Bishop College
Dallas, Texas
Founded in Marshall, Texas; later moved to Dallas.
Booker T. Washington Junior College
Pensacola, Florida
The first of twelve black junior colleges created in Florida, it closed after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Nominally merged with Pensacola Junior College.
J. P. Campbell College
(Started in Vicksburg, moved to Jackson in 1898), Mississippi
Located across the street from Jackson College, now Jackson State University, J. P. Campbell College famously admitted students expelled from high school for participating in the Civil Rights Movement. Then, amidst a failed plan to relocate to Mound Bayou, Mississippi, a black town, it collapsed financially.
Carver Junior College
Cocoa, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Collier-Blocker Junior College
Palatka, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Concordia College, Alabama
Selma, Alabama
Known as “Alabama Lutheran Academy and Junior College” until 1981; It was the only historically black college among the ten colleges and universities in the Concordia University System. The college ceased operations at the completion of the Spring 2018 semester, citing years of financial distress and declining enrollment.
Daniel Payne College
Birmingham, Alabama
Friendship College
Rock Hill, South Carolina
George R. Smith College
Sedalia, Missouri
It burned down April 26, 1925, after which its assets were merged (in 1933) with the Philander Smith College.
Gibbs Junior College
St. Petersburg, Florida
Regionally accredited. Founded to show that separate but equal educational institutions for African Americans were viable, and that racial integration, mandated by Brown v. Board of Education, was unnecessary. Closed shortly after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; nominally merged with St. Petersburg Junior College (today St. Petersburg College).
Guadalupe College
Seguin, Texas
Ceased operations after a fire destroyed the main building in 1936.
Hampton Junior College
Ocala, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Jackson Junior College
Marianna, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Johnson Junior College
Leesburg, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Kittrell College
Kittrell, North Carolina
Leland University
New Orleans, Louisiana
Founded as a grade school in New Orleans, Leland was a Baker, Louisiana-based Baptist University when it closed.
Lewis College of Business
Detroit, Michigan
Founded as “Lewis Business College”.
Lincoln Junior College
Fort Pierce, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Mary Holmes College
West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi Industrial College
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Morristown College
Morristown, Tennessee
Founded as a seminary and normal school in the late 1870s, became Knoxville College's satellite campus in 1989, and closed for good in 1994.
Mount Hermon Female Seminary
Clinton, Mississippi
Natchez College
Natchez, Mississippi
Payne College
Cuthbert, Georgia
On June 5, 1912, it became part of Morris Brown University.
Roger Williams University
Nashville, Tennessee
Two suspicious fires destroyed its main building in 1905. Financial problems ledto its closure in 1929; combined with other institutions to form LeMoyne–Owen College.
Roosevelt Junior College
West Palm Beach, Florida
Regionally accredited. Founded to show that separate but equal educational institutions for African Americans were viable, and that racial integration, mandated by Brown v. Board of Education, was unnecessary. Closed shortly after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; nominally merged with St. Petersburg Junior College (today St. Petersburg College).
Rosenwald Junior College
Panama City, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Saint Paul's College
Lawrenceville, Virginia
Founded as “Saint Paul Normal and Industrial School”. Closed June 2013.
Saints College
Lexington, Mississippi
Originated as Saints Junior College and Academy.
Southern Christian Institute
Edwards, Mississippi
Merged into Tougaloo College. For a time thereafter its campus, renamed Mt. Beulah, was used by the Delta Ministry, CDGM, and other civil rights organizations.
Storer College
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Its endowment was transferred to Virginia Union, where its alumni have been recognized, and its physical assets were given to Alderson-Broaddus College to create scholarships for black students. Its former campus is now part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
Suwannee River Junior College
Madison, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Volusia County Junior College
Daytona Beach, Florida
One of eleven black junior colleges founded in Florida after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, in an attempt to show that separate but equal higher education facilities existed in Florida. All were abruptly closed after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.