Best HBCU Online Programs

Best HBCU Online Programs

By James Barham

Published: Oct 1, 2021
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

36 HBCUs offer nearly 350 online degree programs. HBCU online programs extend the greater mission of HBCUs beyond their geographical locations, allowing them to help students anywhere.

Top 10 HBCU Online Programs

Morehouse College

49%

Tuskegee University

47%

Clark Atlanta University

44%

Hampton University

43%

Texas Southern University

42%

Morgan State University

39%

Florida A&M University

39%

Jackson State University

39%

Tennessee State University

37%

West Virginia State University

36%

West Virginia State University

97%

Bluefield State University

97%

Virginia State University

96%

Norfolk State University

89%

Morgan State University

87%

Fayetteville State University

82%

Winston-Salem State University

81%

Hampton University

80%

Mississippi Valley State University

79%

Elizabeth City State University

77%

Fort Valley State University

24 to 1

Talladega College

23 to 1

Clark Atlanta University

19 to 1

North Carolina A&T State University

19 to 1

Albany State University

19 to 1

Savannah State University

18 to 1

Shelton State Community College

18 to 1

Alabama A&M University

18 to 1

Stillman College

18 to 1

Fayetteville State University

17 to 1

Morehouse College

$29,468

Hampton University

$29,312

Clark Atlanta University

$24,012

Tuskegee University

$22,614

Oakwood University

$19,990

Claflin University

$17,046

St. Augustine's University

$16,896

$14,596

Talladega College

$13,886

Voorhees University

$12,630

Morehouse School of Medicine

$23,314

Tuskegee University

$20,378

Clark Atlanta University

$16,614

Talladega College

$16,000

Oakwood University

$13,680

Hampton University

$13,099

Claflin University

$11,653

St. Augustine's University

$10,800

Alabama A&M University

$10,128

Tennessee State University

$9,524

Voorhees University

10%

Bluefield State University

14%

St. Augustine's University

15%

Shelton State Community College

15%

21%

Stillman College

23%

Claflin University

23%

Mississippi Valley State University

24%

Fayetteville State University

24%

Oakwood University

25%

Tuskegee University

34%

Florida A&M University

35%

Alcorn State University

39%

Savannah State University

46%

Coppin State University

48%

52%

North Carolina A&T State University

57%

Clark Atlanta University

58%

Delaware State University

59%

Claflin University

62%

5 to 1

Oakwood University

10 to 1

Tuskegee University

11 to 1

Voorhees University

11 to 1

Virginia State University

12 to 1

Coppin State University

12 to 1

St. Augustine's University

12 to 1

West Virginia State University

12 to 1

Tennessee State University

12 to 1

Mississippi Valley State University

13 to 1

Elizabeth City State University

$1,000

Fayetteville State University

$2,982

Florida A&M University

$3,152

Winston-Salem State University

$3,401

North Carolina A&T State University

$3,540

Shelton State Community College

$3,690

Savannah State University

$4,064

Fort Valley State University

$4,064

Albany State University

$4,064

Coppin State University

$4,741

Elizabeth City State University

$3,375

Fayetteville State University

$3,438

Albany State University

$3,438

Savannah State University

$3,588

Winston-Salem State University

$3,872

Fort Valley State University

$4,344

North Carolina A&T State University

$4,745

Delaware State University

$5,160

Lincoln University, Missouri

$5,608

Coppin State University

$6,318

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.

The best online Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are meeting the growing demand for high-quality, fully-accredited online degrees while finding new and innovative ways to meet the important guiding mission of America’s HBCUs.

HBCUs and Online Education

Historically Black Colleges and Universities are uniquely positioned to provide excellent undergraduate and graduate degrees while creating a strong sense of belonging for Black students as well as non-minority students. Online HBCUs must therefore navigate unique challenges in order to provide the academic and cultural benefits of the traditional historically black college experience while offering the convenience of online degree programs.

A Brief History of HBCUs

Most Historically Black Colleges and Universities where established in the century between the abolition of slavery in 1865 and the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. The goal of these institutions was to serve predominantly Black students at a time when most Southern colleges refused their admission and many Northern colleges enforced rigid racially-driven admission quotas.

The HBCUs established during this period emerged to advance the educational, professional and economic interests for Black Americans. HBCUs remain a critical source of education, community, and opportunity for Black students as well as a diverse cross-section of Latino, Asian, and White students.

Today, there is a pressing need for HBCUs to provide the same benefits to online students.

The HBCU Landscape Today

Down from 107, in 2019 The National Center for Education Statistics classified only 100 institutions of higher learning as HBCUs across 19 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with the majority of HCBUs concentrated in the south.

A growing number of historically Black colleges provide fully online degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. In fact, the number of HBCU online degree programs has expanded in light of the needs revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Roughly half of HBCUs are also public colleges, which means that both on-campus and online students may be eligible for in state tuition rates.

Today, many historically black colleges are investing in improved online bachelor’s degree and graduate programs. The top HBCUs are dedicating resources and training in order to supplement existing traditional instruction with online courses and online degree programs. We’ve identified nearly 350 online degree programs offered by 36 HBCUs, and those numbers are growing rapidly.

Why consider HBCU online programs?

The very best HBCUs serve as a place for belonging, empowerment, and pride in Black American culture. Our Influence Rankings cast a spotlight on the iconic HBCUs that have succeeded in meeting this same level of excellence through their online degree programs. These HBCUs have excelled at developing online courses, training online instructors, and awarding valuable online degrees.

If you’re interested in attending an HBCU but want an on-campus experience, check out our ranking of the Most Influential HBCUs 2000-2020.

Otherwise, read on to learn about the historically Black colleges that have excelled at offering valuable online online degree programs.

How do we determine the best HBCU online degree programs?

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

The Best HBCU Online Programs

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.