Draper, UT -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/03/2015 -- Historically black colleges and universities (HCBUs) are colleges founded before 1964 to serve black communities. These colleges have always admitted people of all races, and recently many have lost their African-American majorities, leaving African-American students unsure of where to best find an educational institution that still prioritizes African-American communities. EDsmart is an online resource center covering all things relating to colleges and universities, and has recently published a report showing the top thirty colleges in America for African American enrolment.

In the new report, a huge data set has been established using the College Navigator system, retrieving official figures from The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This information has then been used to rank the HBCUs. The top thirty are then explored in summary, with links to their websites and Facebook pages.

The largest HBCUs by African-American enrollment include the Texas Southern University, Jackson State University, North Carolina A&T State University and Howard University, with Florida A&M University named the #1 HBCU by enrollment. The college is praised for providing pathways for social and economic opportunity, ranked #5 among all HBCUs for graduation retention and #15 for highest average salary of graduates.

The top 30 HBCUs as ranked by total African-American student body is:

1) Florida A&M University
2) Howard University
3) North Carolina A&T State University
4) Jackson State University
5) Texas Southern University
6) Prairie View A&M University
7) Tennessee State University
8) North Carolina Central University
9) Southern University and A&M College
10) Morgan State University
11) Norfolk State University 
12) Alabama State University 
13) Bowie State University
14) Virginia State University
15) Alabama A&M University
16) Grambling State University 
17) Hampton University
18) Savannah State University 
19) Fayetteville State University
20) Winston-?Salem State University
21) Bethune-?Cookman University
22) South Carolina State University
23) Delaware State University
24) University of Maryland Eastern Shore
25) Clark Atlanta University
26) Coppin State University
27) Benedict College
28) Tuskegee University
29) University of Arkansas—?Pine Bluff 
30) Xavier University of Louisiana

A spokesperson for EDsmart explained, "EDsmart is committed to helping people understand the reality of higher education in the 21st century, and reports like these are in high demand among students who want to know what their futures could look like with different institutions. With a black and African American enrolment level of 94%, FAMU is the destination of choice for African Americans who want to be educated within culture that specializes in creating opportunities for them, and preparing them for a life as a success leader and entrepreneur. This is just one of many such articles on our website, making it an essential bookmark for anyone considering college."

About EDsmart
EDsmart is an online presence determined to provide helpful, insightful, independent information for students, professors, parents and future students. The EDsmart website offers free news, updates, editorials and rankings on all aspects of higher education, including sports, studies, arts, colleges and more. EDsmart provides stats, studies, & visual representations that tell the true story behind higher education.

For more information please visit: http://www.EDsmart.org/