HBCUs, an acronym for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, are a transformative educational experience. Getting to be surrounded by peers who look like you within walls that foster black excellence is a priceless gift. HBCUs exist to give Black Americans access to the education and opportunities they were once excluded from. Historical figures from Kamala Harris and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Oprah Winfrey and Langston Hughes have each attended HBCUs. This lends to them making a major impact in culture and society.
While states all over the country are home to over 100 HBCUs, Texas is home to nine of them. Whether you’re scouting for yourself or someone else, here’s what to know about each option.
Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View A&M University is the top-ranked HBCU in Texas for its academics, sporting impressive graduates like U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and former NFL player Gene Upshaw. It offers study-abroad opportunities in places like Australia, Italy, South Africa and Great Britain. These distant locales encourage its students to embrace exploration and expand outside their comfort zones. PVAMU is also world-renowned for its architecture program, recently winning first place in the American Institute of Architect’s Sandcastle Competition in Houston.
Wiley College
Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church’s Bishop Isaac Wiley, this private HBCU made headlines in 2021 when Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington donated $1 million to its debate team. Located in Marshall, Texas and within a 2.5-hour drive of Dallas, Tyler, and Shreveport, Louisiana. Students have much to explore outside of Wiley’s interactive campus, which happens to be one of the oldest predominantly black campuses west of the Mississippi River.
Southwestern Christian College
Founded in 1948 by the educator and minister G. P. Bowser under the name Southern Bible Institute, its initial class of 45 students has expanded far beyond its humble beginnings. Nowadays, it operates full force to offer a holistic educational program that will enable students to value and achieve academic excellence within the context of commitment to spiritual values.
Texas Southern University
Well-known for its annual Livestock Show and Rodeo and popular sports teams, Texas Southern University has an impressively large campus, housing over 7,000 students and more than 130 student organizations, including a club for sneakerheads. Texas Southern’s marching band the Ocean of Soul has also won numerous awards and performed at Super Bowls, various parades, NBA and Houston Texans games.
Jarvis Christian College
A private Christian college founded in 1912 in Hawkins, Texas, Jarvis is the only historically black college that remains of the twelve founded by the Disciples of Christ Church. With a deep and rich history, it’s nestled in a small town yet offers its students a wide variety of degrees and certifications, from cybersecurity to social work.
Huston-Tillotson University
Located in the capital city of Austin, it’s very hard to run out of things to do while enrolled in Huston-Tillotson University. Students enjoy everything from attending Austin City Limits to taking a dip at Lady Bird Lake. Attendees also have the opportunity to join the W.E.B. Du Bois Honors Program. There, they’ll have the opportunity to attend retreats in Dallas and San Antonio. They’ll also have the opportunity to receive a scholarship to cover four years of enrollment, and gain access to honors classes like philosophy and ethics.
Texas College
Founded in 1894 by a group of ministers, Texas College offers a wide array of extracurricular activities. Students can join anything from band and concert choir to the college spirit and cheer team. Located in Tyler, Texas, Texas College was one of several recipients of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program. This awarded more than $250 million in grants for HBCUs to upgrade their internet speed and bandwidth.
St. Philips College
Located in San Antonio, Texas, St. Philip’s College is home to 11,000 students. It offers over 70 different academic and technical disciplines. The westernmost historically black college or university in the United States, it operates two major campuses and numerous subsidiary locations.
Paul Quinn College
The only HBCU in Dallas, Paul Quinn College was nationally recognized as HBCU of the Year in 2011. It gained this recognition thanks to its efforts to bring healthy food to the food desert of Dallas, amongst many more achievements. It stands as the oldest historically black college west of the Mississippi River. The school is also the nation’s first urban work college. It originally held classes in churches and people’s homes until moving into its own building in Waco, Texas in 1877.
