WASHINGTON  — The Education Department is awarding $228 million in grants to historically black colleges and universities.

The five-year grants will go to schools in 19 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Schools can use the money to expand their campuses, acquire science equipment, develop counseling programs and train faculty.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the grants will enable historically black colleges to help students who grapple with financial challenges as they pursue post-secondary education. Most of the schools receiving grants are in the South.

The largest grants will go to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee; Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La.; Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss.; and St. Philip’s College in San Antonio. Those schools will receive more than $5 million each.