Highest graduate earnings – HBCUs

These 50 HBCUs rank highest by median earnings 10 years after entry, drawn from 65 institutions with reported data in the U.S. Department of Education data for 2020-21 (Scorecard). Howard University (Washington, DC) leads at $63,066.

Institutions ranked by Median earnings (10 yr).
#	Institution	Median earnings (10 yr)
1	Howard UniversityDC · Private	$63,066
2	Spelman CollegeGA · Private	$59,993
3	Hampton UniversityVA · Private	$59,159
4	Bowie State UniversityMD · Public	$54,537
5	Morehouse CollegeGA · Private	$52,889
6	Xavier University of LouisianaLA · Private	$52,184
7	Morgan State UniversityMD · Public	$50,698
8	Tuskegee UniversityAL · Private	$49,641
9	Delaware State UniversityDE · Public	$49,307
10	University of Maryland Eastern ShoreMD · Public	$47,697
11	Coppin State UniversityMD · Public	$46,490
12	Virginia State UniversityVA · Public	$45,543
13	Fisk UniversityTN · Private	$45,454
14	Prairie View A & M UniversityTX · Public	$45,411
15	Winston-Salem State UniversityNC · Public	$45,344
16	Norfolk State UniversityVA · Public	$44,666
17	North Carolina A & T State UniversityNC · Public	$44,440
18	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityFL · Public	$44,349
19	University of the District of ColumbiaDC · Public	$44,236
20	Southern University and A & M CollegeLA · Public	$43,371
21	Lincoln UniversityPA · Public	$43,167
22	North Carolina Central UniversityNC · Public	$42,968
23	Huston-Tillotson UniversityTX · Private	$42,937
24	Tennessee State UniversityTN · Public	$42,730
25	Clark Atlanta UniversityGA · Private	$42,712
26	Johnson C Smith UniversityNC · Private	$42,680
27	Oakwood UniversityAL · Private	$42,488
28	Grambling State UniversityLA · Public	$41,109
29	Albany State UniversityGA · Public	$40,674
30	Alabama A & M UniversityAL · Public	$40,628
31	West Virginia State UniversityWV · Public	$40,492
32	Claflin UniversitySC · Private	$40,304
33	Fayetteville State UniversityNC · Public	$40,144
34	Elizabeth City State UniversityNC · Public	$40,026
35	Lincoln UniversityMO · Public	$39,463
36	Dillard UniversityLA · Private	$39,196
37	Jackson State UniversityMS · Public	$39,060
38	Texas Southern UniversityTX · Public	$38,924
39	University of the Virgin IslandsVI · Public	$38,681
40	Bethune-Cookman UniversityFL · Private	$38,518
41	Virginia Union UniversityVA · Private	$38,275
42	South Carolina State UniversitySC · Public	$38,262
43	St Philip's CollegeTX · Public	$38,224
44	Bluefield State UniversityWV · Public	$38,217
45	Savannah State UniversityGA · Public	$37,981
46	Fort Valley State UniversityGA · Public	$36,666
47	Florida Memorial UniversityFL · Private	$36,624
48	Alcorn State UniversityMS · Public	$36,421
49	Kentucky State UniversityKY · Public	$36,382
50	University of Arkansas at Pine BluffAR · Public	$35,550

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 2020-21 (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 median earnings 10 years after entry?

Howard University (Washington, DC), at $63,066. It leads 50 institutions shown here, drawn from 65 with reported data.

How is this ranking calculated?

On one disclosed metric only: by median earnings 10 years after entry, from College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2020-21 (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, 2020-21 (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.