The annual list showcases 500 colleges “that produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt.” The colleges were ranked based on return on investment, average student debt levels, and outcomes for graduates. They were also evaluated based on the number of students who return after their first year the number who graduate on time and high salaries after graduation.
“American colleges are still delivering gold-standard undergraduate education,” Forbes said in an article announcing the rankings. “Cost and how well a school fits a student (academically and otherwise), should remain the prime factors as families consider college choices.”
Colleges on the list also enrolled a greater percentage of low-income students who graduated within six years and provided a relatively high return on investment for Pell Grant recipients. Howard students graduate with a lower average debt than any other Washington, D.C.-based college on the list, including Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University, and The Catholic University of America.
The Forbes ranking comes on the heels of rankings by LinkedIn this month, which also named Howard as the top HBCU based on its ability to “set graduates up for long-term success.” The ranking uses LinkedIn data to gauge the career outcomes of alumni through an analysis of job placement rates, senior-level roles, undergraduate internships, and alumni entrepreneurship. Earlier this year, Howard was recognized as the only HBCU with a Research One (R1) designation, reserved for institutions with the highest levels research activity among American universities.
Other notables on the Forbes HBCU list include Morehouse, Spelman College, Hampton University, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
About Howard University
Howard University, established in 1867, is a leading private research university based in Washington, D.C. Howard’s 14 schools and colleges offer 140 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs and lead the nation in producing African Americans with professional doctoral degrees. Howard is the top-ranked historically Black college or university according to Forbes, the only HBCU with an R1 research institution designation, and the only HBCU ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 National Universities. Renowned for its esteemed faculty, high achieving students, and commitment to excellence, leadership, truth and service, Howard produces distinguished alumni across all sectors, which have included the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice and the first woman U.S. vice president; a Nobel Prize laureate; Schwarzman, Marshall, Rhodes and Truman Scholars; prestigious fellows; and over 170 Fulbright recipients. Learn more at www.howard.edu.
About Forbes Magazine
Forbes is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong-based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes, while Sherry Phillips has served as CEO since January 1, 2025. The company is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. Published eight times per year, Forbes features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Wikipedia
