Spelman College ranked No. 1 HBCU, Emory University named state's highest-ranking university overall

ATLANTA - The annual ranking of colleges and universities by U.S. News & World Report is out and that includes rankings of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

There are several HBCUs in the metro Atlanta area and Georgia.

Spelman College was ranked No. 1 on the list. Spelman College was founded in 1881 and is the oldest historically Black college for women in America.

Morehouse College, which is the only 4-year liberal arts college that's historically Black and all male, was ranked No. 5.

Clark Atlanta University, which was formed when Atlanta University and Clark College merged in 1988, was ranked No. 21.

Fort Valley State University ranked No. 31; Albany State University ranked No. 47; Savannah State University ranked No. 51; and Paine College in Augusta ranked No. 72.

To be on the list, a school must be currently designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an HBCU. To qualify for the U.S. News rankings, an HBCU also must be an undergraduate baccalaureate-granting institution that enrolls primarily first-year, first-time students and must be a school that is part of the 2024 Best Colleges rankings.

In the overall rankings, Emory University in Atlanta was the state's highest ranking university. It was ranked No. 24, tying with three other schools and two places down from last year. 

Georgia Tech was ranked No. 33 along with University of California, Irvine, and University of Georgia tied for No. 47.

Other schools that received an overall ranking included:

Mercer University -- No. 170
Georgia State University -- No. 227
Augusta University -- No. 332
Georgia Southern University -- No. 352
Clark Atlanta University -- No. 361
University of West Georgia -- 382

Kennesaw State, Brenau University and Valdosta State University ranked between 394 and 435.

Agnes Scott College in Decatur ranked No. 63 on the National Liberal Arts Colleges list. Covenant College in Lookout Mountain ranked No. 135 and Oglethorpe University in Atlanta ranked No. 163.

Emory University ranked No. 3 for Undergraduate Nursing Programs. Mercer University ranked No. 86, Augusta University and Georgia College & State University ranked 112; Georgia Southern University ranked No. 133; Kennesaw State, Valdosta State and Wesleyan College ranked No. 183; and University of West Georgia ranked No. 263.