Four Maryland HBCUs Rank Among Top 20 for Earnings
A ranking based on 2026 College Scorecard data places Coppin State and Morgan State among the best HBCUs for graduate earnings.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Financial Aid
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Coppin State University ranks No. 4 and Morgan State University No. 5 among historically Black colleges and universities for graduate earnings in a ranking based on 2026 College Scorecard data. Bowie State University ranks No. 3 and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore ranks No. 15 in the same list.
Why it matters
The ranking gives prospective students and families a comparison of reported graduate earnings across HBCUs, showing that several Maryland institutions appear near the top. For Maryland residents, it highlights the state's concentration of HBCUs in the top 20.
Reported annual graduate earnings range from $55,733 at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to $72,974 at Howard University, the top-ranked school. The figures are drawn from College Scorecard data, and the extraction does not specify how earnings are weighted across graduate fields.
The players
U.S. Department of Education
The federal department that publishes the College Scorecard, a database of college costs, graduation rates and graduate earnings used to compare institutions.
Coppin State University
A public historically Black university in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1900 and part of the University System of Maryland.
Morgan State University
A public historically Black research university in Baltimore, Maryland, and the largest HBCU in the Maryland system.
The details
The ranking orders HBCUs by reported annual graduate earnings, placing Howard University first at $72,974 and Tuskegee University second at $69,077. Maryland's Bowie State University ($65,066), Coppin State University ($63,359), Morgan State University ($62,308) and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore ($55,733) also appear in the list.
Timeline
2026: College Scorecard data used for the ranking was released.
November 12, 2026: The ranking was published.
Season Trajectory
The College Scorecard, a Department of Education database of post-enrollment earnings, is the source for this comparison of HBCUs. The ranking extends that data into a comparative list that places several Maryland institutions near the top.
Families comparing colleges can use the reported earnings figures as one input alongside tuition, aid packages and the field of study they plan to pursue. Earnings differences of several thousand dollars between schools may matter when weighing borrowing against expected post-graduation income.
The takeaway
Graduate earnings are one measure among many when comparing colleges, and the gap between the top and bottom schools in this list is substantial. Readers weighing HBCUs should compare net cost, aid eligibility and program fit alongside reported earnings.
Further reading
For more on how college costs and earnings shape aid decisions, see Financial Aid in Maryland.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 92 Q.
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