HBCU

1 of 2

noun

ˌāch-ˌbē-ˌsē-ˈyü 

plural HBCUs

: a college or university in the U.S. established before 1964 for African American students : a historically Black college or university

the state's largest HBCU

Note: The term HBCU was created as a federal designation during the 1986 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which expanded federal funding for colleges and universities.

HBCU

2 of 2

abbreviation

historically Black colleges and universities

Examples of HBCU in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Biden Administration recently re-emphasized these funding inequities in a joint letter sent by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to HBCU state governors. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 28 Nov. 2023

How did going to an HBCU shape your career and change your trajectory? —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2023

And the cultural and historical significance of an HBCU leading bands in the parade is not lost on Macy’s officials, either. —Char Adams, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023

Also during Zahara’s move-in, the mother-daughter duo met with the HBCU’s president, Dr. Helene Gayle, and vice president for student affairs, Darryl Holloman, who marked the occasion with photos shared on Instagram. —Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 18 Nov. 2023

Held in the Oprah Winfrey Theater at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C., the screening was the opening night highlight of the inaugural HBCU First Look Film Festival, whose mission is to encourage the Hollywood dreams of HBCU students and alums. —Ronda Racha Penrice, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Nov. 2023

The screening for the Netflix biopic was held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C, and was one of the opening night events for the inaugural HBCU First Look Film Festival from Nov. 10 to Nov. 12. —Valerie Wu, Variety, 11 Nov. 2023

PepsiCo is making efforts to ensure no HBCU student goes hungry. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 6 Nov. 2023

Link recently penned a letter highlighting the potential of introducing a space law program at the HBCU, in which students learn about the black letter law of international space treaties and US space policy. —Essence, 25 Oct. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1980, in the meaning defined above