Rate this HBCU Day 6: Florida A&M University

[DrBanneker]

Yesterday we reviewed the University of the Virgin Islands and it came in at an underwhelming average of 4.0, but based on only two votes. Now we turn to a heavy-hitter: Florida A&M University. One of the top in the nation by enrollment as well as prestige, FAMU has long been known both for the dynamic performances of its marching band and accompanying Venom Dancers as well as its reputation for one of the top HBCUs in business, engineering, pharmacy, and some of the sciences. It also has a few relatively unknown gems such as the only HBCU viticulture (grape growing and wine making) program and a state of the art plasma physics lab. It is also in a big university town with Florida State University not far away.
It is also a HBCU of choice for Atlanta natives who want to go to a HBCU but not the local AUC or Spelhouse. They also help with finances with 61% of students receiving scholarship from FAMU averaging $3k each.

One cool tidbit about the viticulture program:

The Association of African American Vintners wants to change that. The group recently partnered with the United Negro College Fund to create the Black Winemakers Scholarship Fund, and is in early talks with Florida A&M University to expand its agricultural programs to include viticulture, the study of growing grapes, and enology, the study of wine, Garcia said.

Basic data (all data 2021 unless otherwise noted)
Founded: 1887 (as the State Normal College for Colored Students)
City, State: Tallahassee, FL
Type: 4-Year Public
Nickname: Rattlers
Enrollment and percent Black enrollment: 9,000 (7,301 undergraduate) 87% Black
Out of State Percentage: 25%; top states - Georgia (41%), Illinois (8%), Maryland (7%)
Part-time student percentage: 15%
First Generation Student Percentage: 37%
Percentage of students from households under $30k/over $100k: 50% / 6%
Out of State Percentage: 25%
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 14:1

Admissions Acceptance Rate: 35%
4-yr/6-yr graduation rates: 28% / 55%
Transfer out rate: 22%
Male/Female percentages (Female:Male Ratio): 34%/66% (2:1)
Tuition: In-State: $5.8k Out-of-State: $17.8k
Median Federal Debt After Graduation: $25,000
Median Parent PLUS Loans After Graduation: $16,000
Median Earning 10-Years after 10 years from freshman year: $42,521
Median Earnings for specific majors after 3 years after graduation:
Construction Engineering: $72,935, Accounting: $60,136, Registered Nursing: $59,201, Computer/Info Sciences: $56,027, Business Administration: $49,850

Top Majors by Degrees:
Health Services, Business Administration, Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Psycology, Criminal Justice, Registered Nursing


Endowment: $96M
Alumni Engagement: 15.4% of the 2022 fundraising was from alumni.
Athletic Conference: SWAC (Southwestern Atlantic Conference) (NCAA Div 1)

Mascot: Rattlers

Prominent Alumni

Bernard & Shirley Kinsey - Noted LA business family with the largest collection of African-American Art in the world

Kim Godwin - President of ABC News

Common - you know...

Keisha Lance Bottoms - former mayor of Atlanta

John W. Thompson - former chair of Microsoft and CEO of Symantec

Ibram X Kendi - noted professor of race and racism

Main Campus

New Student Center

Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research - I think FAMU has the only viticulture (wine grape growing and wine making) program among HBCUs

Center for Plasma Science and Technology (met some of the folks back in the day; doing cool plasma turbulence research)

School of Business and Industry

 

[DrBanneker]

Bragg Memorial Stadium

Marching Band

Cheerleaders

FAMU Venom Dancers



Recent Miss FAMUs

Rules:

1. Thecoli will be rating most of the 101 Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the first half of 2023.

2. You can rate the HBCU on several factors including academics, the administration, school experience, athletics, post-grad success, and the "talent"

3. You do not have to be an alum/alumna or have attended the HBCU to vote

3. You can rate each HBCU anywhere on a scale of 1-10.

4. The results of the poll will be displayed publicly.

6. This is not a scientific poll, don't take a high or low rating of a HBCU as the full measure of the "worth" of the school, whether someone should attend, etc.

7. The polls will be open for 96 hours

8. Rep and dap as many people as you like and don’t forget to 5 star this thread.


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[GoAggieGo.]

Pretty cool reading up on the vineyard that they house.

I don’t know much about Fam, but I do know they are a big dog in HBCU world. Fine institution of learning, but with FSU being it’s neighbor, I know they have some fun down there as well.

Georgians dominate out of state admissions. I guess that’s not too surprising. Kind of shocked to see Chicago/Illinois as the 2nd most. I expect their presence to be big in the Mississippi HBCUs.

 

[DropTopDoc]

Their women are legendarily fine, along with their pharm program only rivaled by Xavier, got a few people i know that graduated from there, heard their homecoming is banana’s

 

[DropTopDoc]

Pretty cool reading up on the vineyard that they house.

I don’t know much about Fam, but I do know they are a big dog in HBCU world. Fine institution of learning, but with FSU being it’s neighbor, I know they have some fun down there as well.

Georgians dominate out of state admissions. I guess that’s not too surprising. Kind of shocked to see Chicago/Illinois as the 2nd most. I expect their presence to be big in the Mississippi HBCUs.

I know a lot of folks who from the crib (Chicago) they go graduate and mostly come back…. Don’t know how after living down south

 

[How Sway?]

8/10
Solid school with a good engineering program and pharmacy program.

 

[DrBanneker]

Pretty cool reading up on the vineyard that they house.

I don’t know much about Fam, but I do know they are a big dog in HBCU world. Fine institution of learning, but with FSU being it’s neighbor, I know they have some fun down there as well.

Georgians dominate out of state admissions. I guess that’s not too surprising. Kind of shocked to see Chicago/Illinois as the 2nd most. I expect their presence to be big in the Mississippi HBCUs.

They actually have an annual grape festival and a grape they developed for wineries called the 'FAMU grape'

FAMU’s Grape Harvest Festival Returns Saturday, August 20

www.famu.edu

Also, this is a cool tidbit:

The Association of African American Vintners wants to change that. The group recently partnered with the United Negro College Fund to create the Black Winemakers Scholarship Fund, and is in early talks with Florida A&M University to expand its agricultural programs to include viticulture, the study of growing grapes, and enology, the study of wine, Garcia said.

 

[Memorial Stadium Piru]

Said this in the NC A&T thread but I was gonna go here but my older brother started hating saying FAMU was terrible so I decided against it

In hindsight I definitely would've went here

 

[SPACE IS FAKE]

10 cuz of these brons

 

[DonB90]

Because we lasting 'ever, sound good, don't it?
Rattling your trunks like FAMU and the component


GOAT HBCU

 

[Theolodius_Black]

I've ridden through there several times. Only negative as an outsider who's a resident of Tallahassee is College town has this strange vibe to it. Not the schools problem, it's just something weird in the air. Like it's there for students but it feels like it's meant for FSU and they just tolerate FAMU kids. It's just the vibe I get when I roll through.

Pertaining to the school, it was 3rd on my list. I fukks with half of FAM ppl (a good bit have that "we're better then other hbcus attitude that I don't like but again, that ain't on the school. That's just ppl doing what they do) and have met some really dope ppl there.

Everybody I've met from the 100 been cool af. Love trading stories with them.

8/10

 

[staticshock]

FAMU probably has just as many or more grads than the AUC in Atlanta. FAMU has a ton of pull in Atlanta. Top notch engineering & education schools..guaranteed you’ll see every school in metro Atlanta with 1-4 teachers who graduated from FAMU.

I was all about FAMU my 10th & 11th grade year. I just knew I’d be In Tallahassee after high school cause both of my band directors were FAMU grads. We played all their music & mimicked their style. Their audition requirements were ridiculous though & I had discovered the SWAC, Alabama State, Southern & Jackson State my senior year & I never thought about another MEAC school again.

Their out of state tuition is high as hell, but other than that I don’t have any thing negative to say about FAM.

 

[SupaVillain]

This, XULA and A&T are the schools I am interesting to know more about had I not went to Hampton. Great school, band and impressive alumni

this video

 

[Treblemaka]

Pros:

- FAMU has the best damn band in the land for a reason and has held that title for at least 20 years.
- High academic standards that make it a harder school to be accepted to
- Has a highly respected sciences programs that carries weight with research companies
- Doesn't have the Boule black vibe/faction that many of the classically elite HBCU have
- Sprawling beautiful campus with great weather year round
- 2 hours away from PCB and Destin


Cons:

- Tallahasee, FL. A fair amount of good Ole boys and a city that's just big enough to have fun in but then get bored of
- UF people are going to look down on you
- Not the easiest place to travel to as flights are more expensive and the city isn't within 2.5 hours of any major cities

8 out of 10

 

[Rollie Forbes]

8/10 FAMU is easily one of the top tier schools when it comes to academics, and their band is