Xavier University in Louisiana is the nation’s only institution of higher learning that is historically Black and Catholic. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Xavier continues to rank first nationally in the number of African American students earning undergraduate degrees in biology, physics, and the physical sciences overall. In pre-medical education, Xavier is first in the nation in placing African American students into medical schools, where it has been ranked for the past nine years. 92% of those who enter medical schools complete their degree programs. Xavier is not a wealthy institution. It has learned to do much with limited means. But in spite of financial limits, The New York Times Selective Guide to Colleges has observed that “Xavier is a school where achievement has been the rule, and beating the odds against success a routine occurrence.”

• Visit Xavier University’s Web site
• More Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)

Information provided by: Marlive Harris and students at McWhorter Elementary School, Carrollton, TX.