Nation's Best Historically Black College: Spelman is No. 1

ATLANTA, GA -- Spelman College is the nation's top historically black college, according to College Choice's annual ranking of best historically black colleges and universities.

Howard University in Washington, DC, is second, followed by Hampton University in Virginia, and Morehouse College, also in Atlanta's Cascade neighborhood, at No. 4.

Robert Hand, associate editor of the ranking, said, "Students who are considering an historically black college or university would benefit from the traditions set forth by these universities. They were created in a tradition of making their students self-reliant and encouraged them to think for themselves, making these universities more rigorous in their academic pursuits, which lead students to come out of university with a higher quality of education."

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Spelman, established in 1881 as a female seminary, is a private, all women’s, historically black liberal arts university, and part of the Atlanta University Center Consortium in Cascade. The ranking said, "Spelman is nationally ranked in the top 50 liberal arts colleges. It has a track record of producing Fulbright and Truman Scholars and is known for being the second-biggest producer of African-American medical students in the country."

Morehouse is one of just two historically black colleges and universities to produce Rhodes Scholars and is best known as the alma mater of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"It is interesting to note that Morehouse College has a mission to showcase Morehouse men as 'Renaissance Men,' holding their students up to high standards that the student body continually meets," the report said. "It is for this reason that Morehouse is a highly competitive college for men from all cultural backgrounds."

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 are:

5. Tuskegee University
6. Xavier University of Louisiana
7. Tougaloo College
8. Fisk University
9. Clafin University
10. North Carolina A&T State University

You can see the entire list here.