Highest graduation rates – HBCUs

These 50 HBCUs rank highest by 6-year graduation rate, drawn from 58 institutions with reported data in the U.S. Department of Education data for 2024-25 (Scorecard). Spelman College (Atlanta, GA) leads at 78.5%.

Institutions ranked by Graduation rate (6-yr · first-time, full-time).
#	Institution	Graduation rate (6-yr · first-time, full-time)
1	Spelman CollegeGA · Private	78.5%
2	Howard UniversityDC · Private	70%
3	Morehouse CollegeGA · Private	59.4%
4	Alcorn State UniversityMS · Public	57.4%
5	North Carolina A & T State UniversityNC · Public	57.2%
6	Hampton UniversityVA · Private	57.2%
7	Tuskegee UniversityAL · Private	55%
8	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityFL · Public	53.3%
9	Claflin UniversitySC · Private	51.6%
10	Jackson State UniversityMS · Public	50.9%
11	Clark Atlanta UniversityGA · Private	49%
12	Xavier University of LouisianaLA · Private	48.5%
13	Winston-Salem State UniversityNC · Public	46.7%
14	Oakwood UniversityAL · Private	44.6%
15	Lincoln UniversityPA · Public	43.5%
16	Elizabeth City State UniversityNC · Public	43.5%
17	Dillard UniversityLA · Private	43.3%
18	Prairie View A & M UniversityTX · Public	43.2%
19	North Carolina Central UniversityNC · Public	41.6%
20	Fort Valley State UniversityGA · Public	41.1%
21	Morgan State UniversityMD · Public	40.9%
22	University of Arkansas at Pine BluffAR · Public	40.4%
23	Virginia State UniversityVA · Public	39.4%
24	West Virginia State UniversityWV · Public	39.2%
25	Delaware State UniversityDE · Public	39.1%
26	Norfolk State UniversityVA · Public	38.5%
27	Fayetteville State UniversityNC · Public	38.5%
28	Bowie State UniversityMD · Public	38.2%
29	Bluefield State UniversityWV · Public	37%
30	South Carolina State UniversitySC · Public	36.6%
31	Grambling State UniversityLA · Public	36.2%
32	University of Maryland Eastern ShoreMD · Public	35.3%
33	Johnson C Smith UniversityNC · Private	34.3%
34	Virginia Union UniversityVA · Private	34.2%
35	Tennessee State UniversityTN · Public	34%
36	Huston-Tillotson UniversityTX · Private	33.9%
37	University of the District of ColumbiaDC · Public	33.2%
38	Kentucky State UniversityKY · Public	31.9%
39	Florida Memorial UniversityFL · Private	31.1%
40	Albany State UniversityGA · Public	31.1%
41	Bethune-Cookman UniversityFL · Private	30.5%
42	Alabama State UniversityAL · Public	30.3%
43	Fisk UniversityTN · Private	29.9%
44	St Philip's CollegeTX · Public	28.3%
45	University of the Virgin IslandsVI · Public	28.2%
46	Edward Waters UniversityFL · Private	28.2%
47	Savannah State UniversityGA · Public	28%
48	Southern University and A & M CollegeLA · Public	27.1%
49	Mississippi Valley State UniversityMS · Public	26.8%
50	Coppin State UniversityMD · Public	26.2%

A data ranking, not an Ibex endorsement or quality rating. Ranked solely on the metric named above using U.S. Department of Education data for 2024-25 (Scorecard); federal collections lag the current academic year, and some measures are no longer published at all, so the most recent figure is not always a recent one. Institutions that do not report this metric are excluded. Figures and peer context appear on each institution’s profile.

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Frequently asked

Which of these HBCUs ranks highest by 6-year graduation rate?

Spelman College (Atlanta, GA), at 78.5%. It leads 50 institutions shown here, drawn from 58 with reported data.

How is this ranking calculated?

On one disclosed metric only: by 6-year graduation rate, from College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2024-25 (Scorecard). Institutions that do not report the metric are excluded. It is a data ranking, not an Ibex endorsement, quality rating or reputation survey, and no part of it is estimated or AI-generated.

How current is the data?

This list is built from the College Scorecard release of June 10, 2026 and the newest IPEDS collection on disk, using the most recent figure each of them publishes for the metric it ranks: College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2024-25 (Scorecard). Federal collections lag the current academic year by two to three years, so the newest published figure is not always a recent one; the release the leaderboard is dated on is printed under it.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (each measure carries its own collection year; see the methodology), 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.