Claflin University Shines as a Top 10 Private HBCU

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Claflin University Shines as a Top 10 Private HBCU

For the 14th consecutive year, Claflin continues to lead as the No.1 HBCU in South Carolina and is ranked the state's top national liberal arts college/university in social mobility in the U.S. News & World Report 2025 Rankings. Claflin earned the No. 7 spot for 4-year graduation rates among HBCUs.

Claflin is the No. 7 Private HBCU in the nation, and this year, it jumped six spots from #159 to #153 on the U.S. News list of Nationally Ranked Liberal Arts Colleges. The publication added Claflin's nationally ranked bachelor's degree programs in computer science, nursing, and psychology to this year's list.

College Consensus lists Claflin University as the No. 9 Best Historically Black College and University based on published rankings and student reviews, and Washington Monthly recently named the University a Top 100 Liberal Arts College/University.

Founded in 1869, Claflin is South Carolina's oldest Historically Black College/University and the first to admit all students regardless of ethnic origin, gender, race, or religion.

"We value these rankings. But more important is our unequivocal commitment to our top priorities of providing our students access to exceptional academic, cultural, and social experiences that prepare them for leadership in the global workforce of the 21st Century," said Claflin President Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack.

The Social Mobility category measures colleges and universities that enroll and graduate a significant number of students who receive Pell Grants. At Claflin, these students earn degrees that help launch successful professional careers or enable graduates to continue their education at distinguished graduate schools.

"The Elevation and Transformation our students experience is reflected through social mobility and how they achieve better job opportunities and higher incomes after graduating from Claflin," Warmack said. "The social mobility our graduates attain through a high-quality college education is intrinsically linked to lifetime earnings and the potential for sustained economic empowerment and intergenerational increases in their family's access and status. Our commitment to every student's success includes our investment of over $91 million in infrastructure within the past five years. This investment will directly affect our continued placement of 85% or more of our graduates directly into their chosen fields.

Our rankings validate the collective commitment of our world-class faculty, highly skilled administrators and staff, and Leal and Loyal alumni," Warmack said. "They reaffirm Claflin's enduring legacy of producing globally engaged visionary leaders."