Washington, DC—Forbes today recognized Howard University as the #1 historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the nation for the second year in a row, according to its 2026 America’s Top Colleges rankings. 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.

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