Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community. Overview There're 105 historically black colleges (HBCU) in the United States today, including public and private, two-year and four-year institutions, medical schools and community colleges. Some colleges that operated for decades, closed in the 1930s and 1940s due to competition, the Great Depression… (More on Hbcu)