Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving African Americans. [1] Most of these institutions were founded during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War and are concentrated in the Southern United States. [2]

This list of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) includes institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the Black American community.

On November 8, 1965, in Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Congress officially defined a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) as a school of higher learning that was accredited and established before 1964, and whose principal mission was the education of Black Americans.

The first colleges for African Americans were born, thanks to the efforts of black churches and the support of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the American Missionary Association. Between 1861 and 1900, more than 90 schools were established for African Americans to pursue higher education.