Xavier University of Louisiana is once again the #6 HBCU in the nation, maintaining its status as a top higher education institution in new rankings released this month by U.S. News & World Report.
The Black Catholic school in New Orleans also tied for the #16 university in the South—gaining four spots from last year—and repeats at the #27 “Best Value School” nationally. XULA has also been named one of the nation’s best for undergraduate teaching, coming in at #14.
“Xavier’s story began a century ago, rooted in the belief that education is a powerful force for equity and progress,” the school said in a statement.
“Today, that legacy continues to shine through our dedicated faculty and staff, who mentor and inspire the next generation of leaders, scholars, and changemakers.”
Xavier-LA Institutional Advancement
In the HBCU rankings, XULA trails #1 Spelman College, Howard University, Morehouse College, Tuskegee University, and Florida A&M University. USNWR explained in a separate release that the list is not merely an general university ranking filtered by HBCUs, but an independent project comparing historically Black colleges and universities only to one another.
“This recognition affirms what our community has always known: Xavier University of Louisiana is a place where students receive not only rigorous academic preparation, but also the attention and care that empowers them to thrive,” said President Reynold Verret of the new rankings.
“We celebrate this honor as a testament to our mission and to the extraordinary work of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni who carry Xavier’s commitment to excellence into the future.”
The list included consideration of 77 total HBCUs, with more than half of the weighted criteria comprising undergraduate student outcomes, such as graduation rates, social mobility, and alumni earning. The remaining factors included faculty resources, educational spending, and incoming students’ SAT and ACT scores. Part of the latter ratings included a peer assessment of each school’s academics and top officials.
Unranked in USNWR’s more well-known National Universities list, XULA is repeating among HBCUs at the #6 spot for the third year, down from #3 in 2021 and $5 in 2022. The school is also now #62 for graduates’ social mobility, a slight rise from previous years.
Founded by St. Katharine Drexel and her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, XULA was originally intended to revive Southern University, a public institution driven out of New Orleans by White neighbors in 1914. The new school was later renamed after St. Francis Xavier—the patron saint of Francis A. Drexel, Katharine’s father—and attained university status in 1925, becoming the first and only Catholic HBCU in history.
In the years since, XULA has become known for its unique Catholic and social justice legacies and for its stellar science and medical programs—producing more Black medical school graduates and health science PhDs than any school in the country. XULA is also set to open its own medical school in partnership with Ochsner Health in the coming years.
In addition to the USNWR rankings, XULA was also included in The Princeton Review’s unranked list of best colleges for the 2025-26 academic year, which includes a total of 391 schools. TPR also rated XULA as a top school in the South, a top HBCU, and a school with students most engaged in community service.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
