Best HBCU Online Programs

Key Takeaways

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are schools that were founded during the century between the end of the Civil War (1865) and the passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964), and were designed to serve the higher education needs of Black Americans.
• Today, a growing number of HBCUs have extended this mission to online education, providing a wide variety of excellent and affordable online degree programs.
• The best online HBCU programs include a full complement of undergraduate and graduate degree options as well as access to the cultural and community-based aspects that distinguish the HBCU college experience.

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

Morehouse College and Tuskegee University remain in the top 2 spos in our 2025 ranking of the best online HBCUs, while Clark Atlanta U jumped 3 spots to the number 3 position. But our big mover was Winston-Salem State University jumped 11 spots to move into the number 4 position.

For 2025, CAU is collaborating with the United Negro College Fund and other HBCUs to launch HBCUv, a digital learning and community engagement platform that integrates digital learning tools, social engagement, and career development in a unified online interface.

WSSU has launched a state-of-the-art Adobe Digital Lab, funded by a $1 million grant from Adobe. This multimedia lab provides students and faculty with free access to Adobe Creative Cloud tools, fostering digital literacy through hands-on experience in podcasting, video editing, and other digital arts.