Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation rolls the HBCU Bus Tour through Atlanta, giving high school students direct access to 11 historically black colleges and universities.
Jay-Z is putting Atlanta high school students directly in front of the colleges that could change their lives.
The 2026 Shawn Carter Foundation annual HBCU Bus Tour rolled through the city this week, giving prospective students a real look at historically black colleges and universities that’ll shape their futures.
According to Atlanta News First, the tour exposes aspiring college students to the world of HBCUs in order to promote increased college attendance at these institutions of higher learning.
The foundation’s been running this program for years, and it’s working. Over 100 seniors receive admission offers to at least one of the schools visited on the bus tour every year. Students get to walk the campuses of Spelman College, Morehouse College, Howard University, Hampton University, Lincoln University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T, Norfolk State University, Southern University, Virginia State University, and Bennett College.
That’s 11 different schools across Pennsylvania to Georgia, all in one tour.
But it’s not just about showing up and looking around. The foundation runs a whole prep program before students even step foot on a bus. They’re handling ACT and SAT prep, financial aid and scholarship resources, college essays and academic resumes, interview skills and dress for success, and college orientation.
Students have to be high school juniors with at least a 2.0 GPA and they’ve got to have taken the ACT or SAT at least once by the end of December. The foundation’s looking for kids who actually want to be there, who’ve done community service, and who’ve got real talent in sports, arts, music, or civic engagement.
Toyota Motor N.A. sponsors the entire operation, ensuring these students gain experience without incurring costs.
The 2026 scholars documented their experiences in personal journals while reflecting on the legacy of the civil rights movement and what these institutions represent. That’s the real value here. It’s not just about getting into college.
It’s about understanding the history and the culture of these schools and what they mean to Black excellence in America.
The Shawn Carter Foundation’s commitment to HBCU education goes far beyond a single bus tour each year. The foundation’s been investing in Black higher education for years, and this tour is just one part of a much bigger mission to ensure motivated students have real opportunities to further their education.
The next tour stops in the tri-state area are already being planned for later this year.
