Maryland HBCU Graduates Post Strong Earnings

Students comparing Maryland's historically Black colleges can use reported graduate earnings alongside cost when weighing their options.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Financial Aid

Red-brick academic building with tall windows and a stone staircase, framed by autumn oak trees across an open lawn, in warm late-afternoon light. — Coppin State University and Morgan State University ranked fourth and fifth among HBCUs for graduate earnings in a 2026 College Scorecard analysis of federal data. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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A ranking built on 2026 College Scorecard data from the U.S. Department of Education placed Coppin State University fourth and Morgan State University fifth among historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) for graduate earnings. Four Maryland HBCUs appear in the ranking's top 20, which orders schools by reported annual earnings of their graduates.

Why it matters

For students weighing the cost of a degree against the income it may produce, graduate earnings data is one of the few federal signals that compares schools directly. Because the figures are self-reported and reflect graduates' earnings rather than guaranteed outcomes, they are best read as a starting point for comparing programs.

Reported graduate earnings range from $55,733 at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to $72,974 at Howard University among the ranked HBCUs. Bowie State University ($65,066) and Coppin State University ($63,359) are both in the top five, and the ranking draws on 2026 College Scorecard data.

The players

U.S. Department of Education

The federal agency that publishes the College Scorecard, which provides school-level data on costs, graduation rates, and graduate earnings.

Howard University

A private research university in Washington, D.C., whose graduates reported the highest earnings in this ranking.

Coppin State University

A public historically Black university in Baltimore, Maryland, ranked fourth in this graduate-earnings list.

Morgan State University

A public historically Black university in Baltimore, Maryland, ranked fifth in this graduate-earnings list.

Bowie State University

A public historically Black university in Bowie, Maryland, ranked third in this graduate-earnings list.

The details

The ranking takes the reported annual earnings of each school's graduates from the College Scorecard and orders HBCUs from highest to lowest. Earnings figures reflect the graduates who appear in that federal dataset, so a school's position depends on the reported income of its alumni rather than on tuition or aid. Students comparing schools can use the same College Scorecard, which lets them filter by program and see earnings alongside net price.

2026: College Scorecard data used for the ranking was released.
November 12, 2026: The ranking of HBCU graduate earnings was published.

Education Landscape

The College Scorecard was designed to give families a federal comparison of costs and outcomes at individual colleges. This ranking applies that data to historically Black colleges and universities, one of several ways the dataset is now used to compare schools by graduate earnings.

Students comparing schools can use graduate earnings alongside tuition and net price when building a shortlist. Families can ask a school's financial-aid office how its net price compares with the earnings figures reported for its graduates.

The takeaway

Graduate earnings are one useful signal, but they reflect only the graduates reported in the data and not every student's path. Before deciding, compare the net price and program earnings for each school on your list, and ask the financial-aid office how those figures apply to your intended field.