Most Innovative HBCUs

In 2022, U.S. News & World Report released results from a peer assessment survey naming the Most Innovative Schools in America.

As stated by U.S. News & World Report, "These schools are making promising innovations in technology, curriculum, and other areas."

Schools must have received 7+ nominations to be ranked as one of the Most Innovative Schools.

EDsmart rounded up the top innovative HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) based on U.S. News & World Report's survey results (updated September 11, 2022).

These colleges and universities made this list due to their "innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities..." and "because of cutting-edge changes, the colleges are making on their campuses," per U.S. News & World Report.

Out of the 102 HBCUs in the U.S., only five made this year's list.

Keep reading to discover which HBCUs were nominated, where they ranked amongst all innovative schools and other information such as tuition and other HBCU statistics for each school.

Spelman College

Atlanta, Georgia

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  • #9 in Most Innovative Schools
  • Tuition + Fees: $28,885 (in-state & out-of-state)
  • Black Enrollment: 1,592
  • Black Enrollment Percent: 74%
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 11:1
  • Acceptance rate: 53%
  • Graduation rate: 76%
  • Median earnings: $52,227
  • Two-year employment rate: 94%

Spelman College, a historically Black college and a global leader in the education of women of African descent, is dedicated to academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and the intellectual, creative, ethical, and leadership development of its students. Through diverse learning modalities, Spelman empowers the whole person to engage the many cultures of the world and inspires a commitment to positive social change.

Morehouse College

Atlanta, Georgia

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  • #23 in Most Innovative Schools
  • Tuition + Fees: $14,734 (in-state & out-of-state)
  • Black Enrollment: 1,592
  • Black Enrollment Percent: 98%
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
  • Acceptance rate: 77%
  • Graduation rate: 54%
  • Median earnings: $51,483
  • Two-year employment rate: 90%

For over 150 years, Morehouse College has prepared young men to change the world through leadership and service—driven by innovation, technology, global cultural dexterity, and a liberal arts foundation of knowledge. Morehouse College is a private historically black men's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. Anchored by its main campus of 61 acres near downtown Atlanta, the college has a variety of residential dorms and academic buildings east of Ashview Heights.

Howard University

Washington, D.C.

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  • #30 in Most Innovative Schools
  • Tuition + Fees: $31,050 (in-state & out-of-state)
  • Black Enrollment: 5,215
  • Black Enrollment Percent: 67%
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 13:1
  • Acceptance rate: 39%
  • Graduation rate: 63%
  • Median earnings: $56,236
  • Two-year employment rate: 92%

A research-intensive, culturally-diverse historically Black university. Howard University is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Howard University is one of the nation's leading research universities, dedicated to educating students from diverse backgrounds at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels.

North Carolina A&T State University

Greensboro, North Carolina

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  • #52 in Most Innovative Schools
  • Tuition + Fees: $6,733 (in-state), $20,243 (out-of-state)
  • Black Enrollment: 8,962
  • Black Enrollment Percent: 83%
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 19:1
  • Acceptance rate: 57%
  • Graduation rate: 50%
  • Median earnings: $41,157
  • Two-year employment rate: 94%

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System. An 1890 land-grant doctoral high research activity university, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University prepares students to advance the human condition and facilitate economic growth in North Carolina and beyond by providing a preeminent and diverse educational experience through teaching, research, and scholarly application of knowledge.

Florida A&M University

Greensboro, North Carolina

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  • #68 in Most Innovative Schools
  • Tuition + Fees: $5,785 (in-state), $17,725 (out-of-state)
  • Black Enrollment: 6,294
  • Black Enrollment Percent: 89%
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: 14:1
  • Acceptance rate: 33%
  • Graduation rate: 55%
  • Median earnings: $42,521
  • Two-year employment rate: 93%

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public, historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. FAMUis a doctoral/research institution devoted to student success at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional levels. In addition to the main Tallahassee campus, FAMU has several satellite campuses across Florida. These include the College of Law in Orlando and the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health, which has sites in Crestview, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami.

Sources

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