Four historically Black institutions share one stretch of southwest Atlanta: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Spelman College and Morehouse School of Medicine. Together they form the Atlanta University Center, the country's only consortium of HBCUs whose campuses touch. Students can cross-register between the schools and share a single library. The neighborhood produced Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois's famous Atlanta studies, and generations of Black leaders.
About this site
Atlanta University Center is a college & university in Atlanta, Fulton County. It is one of 5 colleges & universities documented in Fulton County, among 643 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 33.7487, -84.4117 near Atlanta. The nearest cataloged historic site is Clark Atlanta University ART Galleries (museum), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include The Atlanta Student Movement, Atlanta Student Movement, and University Homes.
This record is drawn from Georgia Roam. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
What makes Atlanta University Center different
It is the only consortium of HBCUs in the U.S. whose campuses are contiguous. Students can cross-register at the other member schools. en.wikipedia.org
Atlanta University, now part of Clark Atlanta, was the first HBCU to award graduate degrees to African Americans. W.E.B. Du Bois taught there from 1897 to 1910. en.wikipedia.org
In 2006 Atlanta leaders raised the money to stop Martin Luther King Jr.'s papers from being auctioned at Sotheby's. The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection is now housed at the AUC's Woodruff Library. morehouse.edu
Hale Woodruff's six-panel mural series "The Art of the Negro" (1950–51), each panel 12 feet square, hangs in Trevor Arnett Hall at Clark Atlanta University. cau.edu
Since 1969 AUC students have been able to earn a liberal arts degree from their own school plus an engineering degree from Georgia Tech through the Dual Degree Engineering Program. aucenter.edu
Spelman began in 1881 in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church. Its oldest building, Rockefeller Hall, went up in 1886 with money from John D. Rockefeller. en.wikipedia.org
Morehouse's 6,000-seat Forbes Arena hosted preliminary basketball games at the 1996 Summer Olympics. en.wikipedia.org
The schools of the Atlanta University Center were all founded in the years after the Civil War. Atlanta University opened in 1865 and became the first HBCU to award graduate degrees to African Americans. Morehouse began in 1867 as the Augusta Institute, in the basement of a church in Augusta, and moved to Atlanta in 1879. Methodists founded Clark in 1869. In 1881 two teachers from Massachusetts started what became Spelman in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church, and John D. Rockefeller soon became a major supporter.
In April 1929 John Hope, who was then president of both Morehouse and Atlanta University, persuaded Atlanta University, Morehouse and Spelman to sign an affiliation agreement. Atlanta University became the graduate school for the group, and the colleges began sharing resources. W.E.B. Du Bois had taught at Atlanta University from 1897 to 1910 and returned in the 1930s. Clark and Morris Brown College moved next door, and in 1969 the schools started a dual-degree engineering program with Georgia Tech.
The shared Robert W. Woodruff Library opened in 1982. In 1988 Atlanta University and Clark College merged to form Clark Atlanta University. Morehouse School of Medicine, founded in 1975, joined the consortium in 1983. Morris Brown and the Interdenominational Theological Center later left the group. Today the Atlanta University Center Consortium has four members with about 11,500 students between them, and it is led by executive director Michael E. Hodge.
Spelman College: #1 HBCU, its 20th straight year at the top — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Spelman College: #34 among national liberal arts colleges and #2 for social mobility among liberal arts colleges — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Morehouse College: #4 HBCU, and #1 among HBCUs for undergraduate teaching — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Clark Atlanta University: #17 (tie) among HBCUs — U.S. News & World Report, 2027source
Majors & programs
Each AUC school awards its own degrees. Morehouse is a liberal arts college for men and Spelman a liberal arts college for women. Clark Atlanta is a coed research university with graduate programs, and Morehouse School of Medicine trains doctors and public health professionals. The consortium adds shared programs on top, including dual-degree engineering, data science and career services.
Known for
Dual Degree Engineering Program
Running since 1969, it lets AUC students combine a degree from their home school with an engineering degree from Georgia Tech.
Known for
AUC Data Science Initiative
A consortium-wide program launched in 2019 that brings data science courses and research to students at all the member schools.
Known for
Art History and Curatorial Studies
Spelman built this undergraduate program, which is also open to Morehouse and Clark Atlanta students. It works with the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum and the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art.
Known for
Medicine and Public Health (Morehouse School of Medicine)
The medical school, founded in 1975, offers MD, public health and biomedical science degrees and focuses on communities that lack enough doctors.
Known for
African American history and civil rights research
The Woodruff Library's archives hold the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, which students can use in their own research.
All degree programs at the Atlanta University Center (4)
Morehouse College (men's liberal arts college, founded 1867)
HBCU Series Heart Of Atlanta Spelman and Morehouse College · The RoadshowThe Black National Anthem has deep roots in Atlanta · CBS AtlantaKing Collection: King Papers Video · Morehouse CollegeA Century Old Tradition - A Documentary Narrated by Dr. Marva Carter · Spelman College Glee ClubCelebrating 50 Years of Impact | Morehouse School of Medicine · Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)Morehouse College vs Tuskegee University | #NBAHBCUClassic Presented by AT&T | 2025 #NBAAllStar · NBA
What colleges are in the Atlanta University Center?
Four schools: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Spelman College and Morehouse School of Medicine. Morris Brown College and the Interdenominational Theological Center are next door but are no longer consortium members.
What is the Atlanta University Center known for?
It is the largest group of private historically Black colleges in the country and the only one whose campuses adjoin. It is also known for alumni such as Martin Luther King Jr., Spike Lee and Stacey Abrams, and for W.E.B. Du Bois's years at Atlanta University.
Is Spelman the #1 HBCU?
Yes. U.S. News & World Report ranked Spelman the #1 HBCU for 2027, its 20th year in a row at the top. Morehouse was ranked #4.
Can AUC students take classes at the other schools?
Yes. Students can cross-register for courses at the other member schools, and all four share the Robert W. Woodruff Library and several joint programs.
Where did Martin Luther King Jr. go to college?
King graduated from Morehouse College in 1948 with a degree in sociology, when he was 19. The King International Chapel on the Morehouse campus is named for him.
What division are Morehouse and Clark Atlanta?
Both play in NCAA Division II in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Spelman dropped varsity sports in 2013 and put the money into a campus-wide wellness program.
How many students attend the AUC?
About 11,500 in all as of Fall 2024 (NCES): 4,252 at Clark Atlanta, 3,417 at Spelman, 2,847 at Morehouse and 967 at Morehouse School of Medicine.
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