Strongest financial health — HBCUs

These 50 HBCUs rank highest by NACUBO Composite Financial Index (CFI), drawn from 52 institutions with reported data in the most recent U.S. Department of Education release (2024-25). South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, SC) leads at 7.6.

#	Institution	Financial Health Index (CFI)
1	South Carolina State UniversitySC · Public	7.6
2	Huston-Tillotson UniversityTX · Private	7.3
3	Miles CollegeAL · Private	7.2
4	Clark Atlanta UniversityGA · Private	6.9
5	Claflin UniversitySC · Private	6.8
6	Johnson C Smith UniversityNC · Private	6.7
7	Lincoln UniversityPA · Public	6.6
8	Tuskegee UniversityAL · Private	6.6
9	Southern University and A & M CollegeLA · Public	6.5
10	Florida Memorial UniversityFL · Private	6.2
11	Xavier University of LouisianaLA · Private	6.0
12	Virginia Union UniversityVA · Private	5.5
13	Morehouse CollegeGA · Private	5.4
14	Virginia State UniversityVA · Public	5.4
15	Bowie State UniversityMD · Public	4.9
16	Dillard UniversityLA · Private	4.9
17	Hampton UniversityVA · Private	4.8
18	Edward Waters UniversityFL · Private	4.7
19	Fayetteville State UniversityNC · Public	4.7
20	Langston UniversityOK · Public	4.4
21	North Carolina Central UniversityNC · Public	4.2
22	Texas Southern UniversityTX · Public	4.1
23	Winston-Salem State UniversityNC · Public	4.0
24	University of the Virgin IslandsVI · Public	3.9
25	Mississippi Valley State UniversityMS · Public	3.8
26	Bethune-Cookman UniversityFL · Private	3.7
27	North Carolina A & T State UniversityNC · Public	3.7
28	Benedict CollegeSC · Private	3.4
29	Fort Valley State UniversityGA · Public	3.4
30	Grambling State UniversityLA · Public	3.4
31	Elizabeth City State UniversityNC · Public	3.2
32	Alcorn State UniversityMS · Public	2.9
33	Savannah State UniversityGA · Public	2.9
34	University of Maryland Eastern ShoreMD · Public	2.9
35	West Virginia State UniversityWV · Public	2.7
36	Tennessee State UniversityTN · Public	2.6
37	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityFL · Public	2.5
38	Howard UniversityDC · Private	2.5
39	Norfolk State UniversityVA · Public	2.4
40	Coppin State UniversityMD · Public	2.3
41	Jackson State UniversityMS · Public	2.2
42	Fisk UniversityTN · Private	2.0
43	Alabama State UniversityAL · Public	1.7
44	Kentucky State UniversityKY · Public	1.5
45	Prairie View A & M UniversityTX · Public	1.2
46	Oakwood UniversityAL · Private	1.0
47	University of Arkansas at Pine BluffAR · Public	0.3
48	Morgan State UniversityMD · Public	0.2
49	Southern University at New OrleansLA · Public	-0.6
50	Alabama A & M UniversityAL · Public	-0.8

The Composite Financial Index (CFI) is the NACUBO/accreditor balance-sheet health score; bond-rating agencies track similar ratios. The CFI clamps and rewards reserves relative to budget size, so this list is limited to institutions with at least 1,000 undergraduates for comparability. A data ranking — not an Ibex endorsement or quality rating. Ranked solely on the metric named above using the most recent College Scorecard & IPEDS release, which lags the current academic year by 2–3 years. Institutions that do not report this metric are excluded. Figures and peer context appear on each institution’s profile.

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Source: U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent release, 2024-25), with Census ACS, BLS Employment Projections, WICHE & the FSA Direct Loan Dashboard. Compiled by Ibex Insights. For informational benchmarking only — not financial, investment, or accreditation advice. See the methodology.