Student Resources
Research guides, reading paths, HBCU prospect information, and scholarship resources. Whether you're writing a middle school paper or a graduate seminar thesis, there's an entry point here for you.
Considering an HBCU?
There are 101 accredited HBCUs in the United States. The right one for you depends on your field of study, your financial situation, your community goals, and dozens of factors that a ranking list won't tell you. Here's where to start.
How to Choose an HBCU
A framework for evaluating HBCUs beyond the rankings — program strength, financial aid, campus culture, alumni network, research opportunities, and geographic fit. Includes a comparison worksheet.
Read the guideThe HBCU Wiki
Our growing reference for every HBCU — active, closed, and consolidated. Search by state, type (public/private), denominational affiliation, and founding date. The most complete HBCU reference available online.
Browse the HBCU WikiHBCU Scholarships and UNCF
Most HBCUs offer merit scholarships specific to their institution. The UNCF (United Negro College Fund) administers hundreds of scholarships at member HBCUs. This guide covers how to find and apply for HBCU-specific financial aid.
Scholarship resource guideWriting a Paper on Black History?
Using the HBCU Wiki for Research
How to cite the HBCU Wiki correctly, how to find and evaluate the primary sources linked from wiki entries, and how to use the wiki as a launch point — not a final source — in academic research.
Read the research guideWriting a Paper on the Civil Rights Movement
Key primary source collections, essential secondary scholarship, common misconceptions to avoid, and a list of arguable thesis topics at multiple levels — middle school, high school, and undergraduate.
Research and writing guideWriting a Paper on Reconstruction
Reconstruction (1865-1877) is one of the most misrepresented periods in American history. This guide identifies the key archives, corrects the historiographical myths, and helps you engage seriously with one of the most contested eras in the scholarship.
Research and writing guideFinding Primary Sources in HBCU Archives
HBCU archives hold primary source materials unavailable anywhere else. This guide explains how to identify the right archive for your topic, how to submit a research request, and which collections are digitized and freely accessible.
Archive access guideReading Paths by Topic and Grade Level
Curated reading lists organized by topic area and reading level. Every book on these lists has been evaluated for accuracy, sourcing, and appropriate grade-level complexity. Recommendations range from middle grade to graduate-level scholarship.
Reconstruction
From Eric Foner's landmark scholarship to accessible middle-grade introductions.
Reading list coming soonCivil Rights Movement
Memoir, biography, oral history, and historical analysis across reading levels.
Reading list coming soonHBCU History
The institutional history of Black higher education — from Cheyney in 1837 to today.
Reading list coming soonBlack Intellectual Tradition
Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Frantz Fanon, Angela Davis, James Baldwin — and their intellectual descendants.
Reading list coming soon