Spelman College & Howard University lead 2026 U.S. News & World Report Top HBCUs list

US News & World Report has released its 2026 Top HBCUs list, with both Spelman College and Howard University maintaining their positions at the top of the list. The list is published annually and uses several factors to determine the rankings of the HBCUs.

The ranking system is based on two core components: quantitative and qualitative measures recognized by education experts as reliable indicators of academic excellence, as well as U.S. News' perspective on important factors in education. Academic quality is assessed using seven categories of indicators: outcomes, metrics, student loan burden, peer evaluations by administrators at other HBCUs, faculty resources, financial resources, student excellence, and alumni donations.

Spelman College and Howard University held their ground at the very top of the list, retaining their No. 1 and No. 2 rankings, respectively. Spelman College maintains its place as the top HBCU per the rankings for 19 straight years, first appearing at the top of the list in 2006. Howard University, which has undergone massive growth, also continues to occupy the top of the list as it enjoys its achievement of regaining its Research 1 (or R1) status as a very high research activity institution.

Meanwhile, Morehouse College made a notable leap, climbing from its 2025 rank of No. 5 to secure the No. 3 spot this year. The 2025 tie for third place was broken, as Florida A&M and Tuskegee University shifted to ranks No. 5 and No. 4, respectively. Other slight movements in the rankings included Morgan State, which moved up one spot to No. 9, while Delaware State dropped one spot to No. 10. Overall, most of the top-ranked schools maintained their positions from the previous year.

The full top ten list, including the rankings from last year, is below.