Strongest financial health – HBCUs

These 50 HBCUs rank highest by NACUBO Composite Financial Index (CFI), drawn from 61 institutions with reported data in the most recent U.S. Department of Education release (2024-25). Spelman College (Atlanta, GA) leads at 8.0.

#	Institution	Financial Health Index (CFI)
1	Spelman CollegeGA · Private	8.0
2	H Councill Trenholm State Community CollegeAL · Public	7.9
3	South Carolina State UniversitySC · Public	7.6
4	Huston-Tillotson UniversityTX · Private	7.3
5	Miles CollegeAL · Private	7.2
6	Clark Atlanta UniversityGA · Private	6.9
7	Gadsden State Community CollegeAL · Public	6.9
8	Claflin UniversitySC · Private	6.8
9	Johnson C Smith UniversityNC · Private	6.7
10	Lincoln UniversityPA · Public	6.6
11	Tuskegee UniversityAL · Private	6.6
12	Southern University and A & M CollegeLA · Public	6.5
13	Florida Memorial UniversityFL · Private	6.2
14	Xavier University of LouisianaLA · Private	6.0
15	Virginia Union UniversityVA · Private	5.5
16	Morehouse CollegeGA · Private	5.4
17	Virginia State UniversityVA · Public	5.4
18	Bowie State UniversityMD · Public	4.9
19	Coahoma Community CollegeMS · Public	4.9
20	Dillard UniversityLA · Private	4.9
21	Hampton UniversityVA · Private	4.8
22	Edward Waters UniversityFL · Private	4.7
23	Fayetteville State UniversityNC · Public	4.7
24	Shelton State Community CollegeAL · Public	4.5
25	Langston UniversityOK · Public	4.4
26	North Carolina Central UniversityNC · Public	4.2
27	Texas Southern UniversityTX · Public	4.1
28	Bishop State Community CollegeAL · Public	4.0
29	Winston-Salem State UniversityNC · Public	4.0
30	University of the Virgin IslandsVI · Public	3.9
31	Mississippi Valley State UniversityMS · Public	3.8
32	Bethune-Cookman UniversityFL · Private	3.7
33	North Carolina A & T State UniversityNC · Public	3.7
34	Lawson State Community CollegeAL · Public	3.5
35	Benedict CollegeSC · Private	3.4
36	Fort Valley State UniversityGA · Public	3.4
37	Grambling State UniversityLA · Public	3.4
38	Elizabeth City State UniversityNC · Public	3.2
39	Alcorn State UniversityMS · Public	2.9
40	Savannah State UniversityGA · Public	2.9
41	University of Maryland Eastern ShoreMD · Public	2.9
42	West Virginia State UniversityWV · Public	2.7
43	Tennessee State UniversityTN · Public	2.6
44	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityFL · Public	2.5
45	Howard UniversityDC · Private	2.5
46	Norfolk State UniversityVA · Public	2.4
47	Coppin State UniversityMD · Public	2.3
48	Jackson State UniversityMS · Public	2.2
49	Fisk UniversityTN · Private	2.0
50	St Philip's CollegeTX · Public	1.8

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 NSF NCSES (HERD), the Clery Act & EADA collections, 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.