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Top 10 Most Affordable Public and Private HBCUs In The US

UniCreds
June 17, 2021
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Last Updated: January 3, 2024

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Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were established during a time of legal segregation to provide quality education to freed slaves. These institutions continue to provide the necessary access to higher education today to first-generation and low-income students. At present, there are over 100 HBCUs across the U.S. granting degrees to students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Many of the schools still continue to manage to keep costs low despite having smaller endowments. In this article, we will have a look at the most affordable public and private HBCUs to study in the US.

Before we begin you must know that Vice President Kamala Harris is the first graduate of an HBCU in the White House. This has drawn even more attention towards these institutions. Also, as a part of President Joe Biden’s campaign pledge of $70 billion to HBCUs and minority-serving institutions, these schools are in line to get a much-needed boost. So without further ado let’s check out the cost-effective HBCUs.

Notable Findings Regarding Affordable Public And Private HBCUs In The US

The most affordable public HBCU for in-state undergraduates: Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, N.C., with a tuition cost of $3,260 annually.
The most affordable private HBCU for in-state undergraduates: Shorter College in North Little Rock, Ark., with a tuition cost of $5,596 annually.
The most affordable public, 2-year HBCU for in-state undergraduates: Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, with a tuition cost of $3,003 annually.
The lowest acceptance rate: Coppin State University in Baltimore, with only 28% of applicants being accepted in the 2019-20 school year. Morehouse College in Atlanta, meanwhile, accepted 99.8% of applicants in that period.

Most Affordable Public And Private HBCUs In The US

We will see separate lists of public and private HBCUs. Let’s first start with the public HBCUs.

Most Affordable Public HBCUs

Here is the list of top 5 most affordable public HBCUs.

#5 Florida A&M University: Tallahassee, Fla.

In-state undergraduate tuition: $5,785
Out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $17,725

The university, founded in 1887, began with just 15 students and two instructors. Today, FAMU has nearly 10,000 students enrolled, offers 54 bachelor’s degrees, 29 master’s degrees, three professional degrees and 12 doctoral degrees. This school also has the only college of pharmacy in the U.S. that offers nationally accredited Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree programmes.

#4 Harris-Stowe State University: St. Louis

In-state undergraduate tuition: $5,484
Out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $10,116

This university provides students with the option to choose from a range of 59 majors, minors, certificates and other academic options. The university traces its history back to almost a decade before the end of the Civil War.

#3 Fayetteville State University: Fayetteville, N.C.

In-state undergraduate tuition: $5,274
Out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $16,882

The university, founded in 1867 and initially established in a chapel as the Howard School, boasts a wide variety of programmes, including business and economics; education; health, science and information technology; and humanities and social sciences. Fayetteville State houses the Center for Defense and Homeland Security for those interested in cybersecurity and national security. It has also established satellite campuses on two North Carolina military bases.

#2 University of the Virgin Islands: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Undergraduate tuition for residents: $5,235
Undergraduate tuition for nonresidents: $14,496

Founded in 1962, this university offers 47 undergraduate and graduate degree programmes. These programmes operate out of several schools, including the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, the College of Science & Mathematics, the School of Business, the School of Education and the School of Nursing. The school has about 2,500 students spread across its two campuses on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

#1 Elizabeth City State University: Elizabeth City, N.C.

In-state undergraduate tuition: $3,260
Out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $7,260

Finally, we have arrived at our #1 most affordable public HBCUs. This school, which is part of the University of North Carolina System, was founded in 1891 after a bill sponsored by Hugh Cale, an African American representative in the state General Assembly. It aimed to support Black students in their education, training them to become teachers themselves. Today, the school offers a wide variety of majors, including 27 undergraduate programmes spread across three schools: The School of Humanities & Social Sciences, the School of Education & Business and the School of Science, Aviation, Health & Technology.

Now that we are done with the public schools, the next section in our blog on – Top 10 Most Affordable Public and Private HBCUs in the U.S – will list the private schools.

Most Affordable Private HBCUs

Private schools are usually more expensive than public schools. However, there are some low-cost historically black colleges and universities. Let’s have a look at them.

#5 Arkansas Baptist College: Little Rock, Ark.

In-state and out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $8,760

Arkansas Baptist College rounds out the top five most affordable private HBCUs. As a private institution, this HBCU has no difference in tuition for in-state or out-of-state students, so even those coming from out of state can get the lower price tag. This school was founded in 1884 by the Colored Baptists of Arkansas as the Minister’s Institute, changing its name the following year. Religious studies remain one of the school’s primary educational programmes, though other options include business administration, fine arts, public administration, social and behavioural sciences.

#4 Southwestern Christian College: Terrell, Texas

In-state and out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $8,131

Southwestern Christian College offers another great affordable private HBCU option. The school was founded in 1948 and is sponsored by members of Churches of Christ. Students can choose from several associate and bachelor’s programmes available here.

#3 Selma University: Selma, Ala.

In-state and out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $7,280

Ranking third among private HBCUs is Selma University. This school opened in 1878 intending to educate Black Baptist ministers and freedmen, beginning with the first class of just four. It’s grown since but remains relatively small, with 540 students enrolled. Selma identifies itself as a Bible college, offering students higher education alongside religious studies. Students can study topics like theology, health science, business, biology, physical education.

#2 Simmons College of Kentucky: Louisville, Ky.

In-state and out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $6,390

Simmons has its roots in religion, via the Kentucky State Convention of Colored Baptist Churches, which proposed the college in the 1860s. It describes itself as an “institution of biblical higher education,” and this religious background does figure heavily into its educational offerings as well.

#1 Shorter College: North Little Rock, Ark.

In-state and out-of-state undergraduate tuition: $5,596

Shorter College, founded in 1886, is a faith-based, two-year HBCU. Students of Shorter College can study subjects including church leadership and ministry, childhood development, criminal justice, entrepreneurial studies and computer programming.