Tuskegee University entrance (Pat Byington / The Bama Buzz)

Five Alabama colleges were recently included in Forbes’ annual Top 500 Colleges rankings but the company also highlighted a pair of HBCUs in our state.

Forbes separately ranked the top 10 private Historically Black Colleges and Universities and two Alabama schools made the list including Tuskegee University (#6) and Talladega College (#8).

The rankings were based on a variety of metrics including:

Graduation rate
Student debt
Pell grant success rate
Forbes American Leaders alumni

Keep reading to learn more about Alabama’s two schools that made the list.

Tuskegee University

Tuskegee 1 — Orientation leaders greet incoming freshmen and new students. (Tuskegee University)

Tuskegee is sixth in the rankings and was given a little bit of a highlight in the Forbes article.

President Mark Brown spoke with Forbes about federal funding, financial assistance and more. Brown also emphasized Tuskegee’s use of internships and professional certifications.

This year’s incoming Tuskegee veterinary medicine students, who are subject to the new federal loan limits, will be part of a pilot project that will make up for reduced federal loan limits with loans funded by the Student Freedom Initiative.

“Founded in 1881 with Booker T. Washington as its first principal, Tuskegee is home to the only veterinary medicine program at an HBCU. It’s also the only HBCU to offer ROTC programs for all branches of the military, including the new Space Force. Along with agriculture, biotechnology, nursing, engineering, computer science and cybersecurity, it is known for training commercial pilots. Famous grads include World War II’s Tuskegee Airmen, Ralph Ellison and Lionel Richie.”
Forbes

Here are some of the key takeaways from the Forbes rankings:

Location: Tuskegee, Alabama
Undergraduate Enrollment: 3,366
Graduate Enrollment: 227
Undergraduate Cost of Attendance: $39,160
6-year graduation rate: 57%
Retention rate: 76%
Early-career Median pay: $70,700
Mid-career Median pay: $103,800

Talladega College

Talladega came in at No. 8 in the inaugural Forbes rankings, making Alabama one of two states with multiple schools in the top 10.

“Founded in 1867 by former slaves, Talladega’s campus is home to celebrated murals by Hale Woodruff depicting the 1839 Amistad slave ship rebellion. The college has built its reputation with practical programs; it’s known for its business administration and computer information majors, the latter with a cybersecurity focus.”
Forbes