Shaw University

Shaw University is a private historically Black university located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1865, it is one of the oldest historically Black colleges and universities in the United States. Shaw University offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across disciplines including liberal arts, education, business, divinity, and social work. The institution has played a significant role in African American education and civic life in the South, particularly during Reconstruction and the civil rights era. Students drawn to Shaw University often seek a smaller campus environment, a faith-influenced educational tradition, and a strong historical connection to social justice and community leadership.

Shaw University was founded in 1865 in Raleigh, North Carolina, by Baptist minister Henry Martin Tupper to educate newly emancipated African Americans after the Civil War. Originally known as the Raleigh Institute, the school was renamed Shaw Collegiate Institute in 1870 following a donation from Elijah Shaw. Shaw University became one of the first historically Black institutions in the South to offer professional training, including a medical school and a law school in the late nineteenth century. Estey Hall, built in 1873, was the first building in the United States constructed for the higher education of African American women. Throughout the twentieth century, Shaw University expanded its academic programs and played a role in civil rights activism, including hosting meetings that contributed to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960. Today, Shaw University continues its mission as a private historically Black university serving students in Raleigh and beyond.