This article ranks the top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the United States by average (midhinge) ACT and SAT scores for Fall 2010 enrollees. HBCU are institutions of higher education that were established prior to 1964 for the purpose of serving black students.
The ACT and SAT are college placement exams administered in the United States to measure readiness for college. Generally, the ACT is administered in the midwestern and southern states while the SAT is the exam of choice in the coastal states. The following link shows an SAT-ACT Preference Map.
The ACT college placement exam comprises four sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. An “ACT Composite” score is an average mark on all four sections. A perfect ACT Composite score is 36. By comparison, the SAT comprises three sections: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. Each section of the SAT is worth a total of 800 points; therefore, a perfect score is 2400.
For purposes of this article, HBCU are separately ranked according to their average ACT and SAT scores and then those two rankings are averaged to establish an overall ranking for each school.
With the foregoing as background, the following are the top HBCU along with their locations, average ACT and SAT scores, acceptance rates, and enrollment rates. Colleges and universities with limited courses of study and institutions with “open admission” policies are not included in these rankings.
1. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Howard University
Location: Washington, D.C.
Average SAT Score: 1655
Average ACT Score: 24
Acceptance Rate: 54%
Enrollment Rate: 32%
2. (tie) Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Spelman College
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Average SAT Score: 1529**
Average ACT Score: 22
Acceptance Rate: 39%
Enrollment Rate: 25%*
Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Morehouse College
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Average SAT Score: 1550
Average ACT Score: 21.5
Acceptance Rate: 64%
Enrollment Rate: 36%
3. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Hampton University
Location: Hampton, Virginia
Average SAT Score: 1442**
Average ACT Score: 21
Acceptance Rate: 37%
Enrollment Rate: 25%
4. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Fisk University
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Average SAT Score: 1487
Average ACT Score: 20
Acceptance Rate: 61%
Enrollment Rate: 19%
5. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Xavier University of Louisiana
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Average SAT Score: 1425
Average ACT Score: 20.5
Acceptance Rate: 69%
Enrollment Rate: 33%
6. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Bluefield State College
Location: Bluefield, West Virginia
Average SAT Score: 1432**
Average ACT Score: 19.5
Acceptance Rate: 69%
Enrollment Rate: 72%
7. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Florida A & M University
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Average SAT Score: 1380
Average ACT Score: 19
Acceptance Rate: 61%
Enrollment Rate: 56%
8. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Philander Smith College
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Average SAT Score: 1385
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 71%
Enrollment Rate: 12%
9. (tie) Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Southern University
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Average SAT Score: 1350***
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 41%
Enrollment Rate: 59%
Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Jackson State University
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
Average SAT Score: 1350
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 62%
Enrollment Rate: 20%
10. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Oakwood University
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Average SAT Score: 1341**
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 51%
Enrollment Rate: 39%
11. (tie) Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: North Carolina A & T State University
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
Average SAT Score: 1325
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 61%
Enrollment Rate: 51%
Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Tuskegee University
Location: Tuskegee, Alabama
Average SAT Score: 1311**
Average ACT Score: 19
Acceptance Rate: 58%
Enrollment Rate: 44%
12. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Clark Atlanta University
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Average SAT Score: 1296**
Average ACT Score: 19.5
Acceptance Rate: 69%
Enrollment Rate: 21%
13. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Virginia State University
Location: Petersburg, Virginia
Average SAT Score: 1290
Average ACT Score: 19.5
Acceptance Rate: 67%
Enrollment Rate: 28%*
14. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Dillard University
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Average SAT Score: 1310
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 48%
Enrollment Rate: 28%
15. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Claflin University
Location: Orangeburg, South Carolina
Average SAT Score: 1309**
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment Rate: 33%*
16. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Paul Quinn College
Location: Dallas, Texas
Average SAT Score: 1290
Average ACT Score: 19
Acceptance Rate: 43%
Enrollment Rate: 67%
17. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Norfolk State University
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
Average SAT Score: 1292**
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 64%
Enrollment Rate: 38%
18. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Morgan State University
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Average SAT Score: 1336**
Average ACT Score: 18
Acceptance Rate: 32%
Enrollment Rate: 33%
19. (tie) Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Bowie State University
Location: Bowie, Maryland
Average SAT Score: 1320
Average ACT Score: 18
Acceptance Rate: 52%
Enrollment Rate: 43%
Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Tougaloo College
Location: Tougaloo, Mississippi
Average SAT Score: 1262**
Average ACT Score: 20.5
Acceptance Rate: 34%
Enrollment Rate: 20%
20. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Grambling State University
Location: Grambling, Louisiana
Average SAT Score: 1319
Average ACT Score: 18
Acceptance Rate: 31%
Enrollment Rate: 56%
21. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Johnson C. Smith University
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Average SAT Score: 1284**
Average ACT Score: 18.5
Acceptance Rate: 25%
Enrollment Rate: 20%
22. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Rust College
Location: Holly Springs, Mississippi
Average SAT Score: 1290***
Average ACT Score: 17.5
Acceptance Rate: 34%
Enrollment Rate: 17%
23. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Winston-Salem State University
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Average SAT Score: 1287**
Average ACT Score: 17.5
Acceptance Rate: 57%
Enrollment Rate: 40%*
24. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Delaware State University
Location: Dover, Delaware
Average SAT Score: 1297**
Average ACT Score: 17
Acceptance Rate: 41%
Enrollment Rate: 27%
25. Top Historically Black Colleges and Universities – HBCU: Alcorn State University
Location: Lorman, Mississippi
Average SAT Score: 1282**
Average ACT Score: 17.5
Acceptance Rate: 34%
Enrollment Rate: 20%
*Extrapolated from 2009-2010 data.
**Some HBCU do not report SAT Writing scores. In such cases, scores were statistically imputed from Critical Reading scores.
***SAT scores converted from reported ACT scores.
Source(s):
“College Search,” College Board
“COLLEGE Navigator” ies NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
