The largest-ever assessment of HBCU alumni shows graduates outperform national benchmarks in well-being, sense of belonging and workplace engagement. The first installment (released July 31) covers 2010–2025 alumni from 40 four‑year HBCUs and is part of a three‑part project spanning 64 institutions and over 500,000 alumni contacts. Key results include 70% of alumni thriving, 83% reporting strong belonging, and 46% engaged at work. Future reports will add earlier cohorts and qualitative interviews.
Landmark Study: HBCU Graduates Outperform National Benchmarks in Well-Being, Belonging and Work Engagement
Kimberly Morris, president & founder of Higher Ed Consulting Enterprise–joins "Life Hacks with Liana" to discuss financial aid and resources for students at HBCUs.
A landmark assessment of recent alumni from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) finds graduates outperform multiple national benchmarks on measures of well-being, workplace engagement and institutional belonging.
Proof of Promise: The Lasting Value and Impact of an HBCU Education — produced by the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center (the research arm of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund) in partnership with Gallup — released its first installment on July 31. The study’s initial phase analyzes alumni who graduated between 2010 and 2025 from 40 four-year HBCUs with usable data. The full three-part project will cover 64 four-year HBCUs and more than 500,000 documented alumni contacts, making it the largest assessment of HBCU alumni to date.
Key Findings
The report surfaces several notable outcomes for recent HBCU graduates:
- Thriving: 70% of recent HBCU alumni were classified as thriving in everyday life, compared with 46% of Black U.S. adults.
- Sense of Belonging: 83% reported a strong sense of belonging at their institution versus 65% of college graduates nationally.
- Perceived Value: 79% said their education was worth the cost (national benchmark: 72%).
- Alumni Promoters: 72% were promoters of their alma mater compared with 44% of college graduates nationwide.
- Workplace Engagement: 46% of recent HBCU alumni were engaged at work compared with 31% of U.S. workers overall.
- Early Career Outcomes: 52% secured a good job within two months of graduation; 39% already had a job waiting when they graduated. Engineering graduates posted a 70% placement rate within two months.
Professional Development Needs and Cohort Trends
Graduates identified clear skills gaps: networking (46%), public speaking (35%) and generative AI (34%) ranked as the top areas where alumni want additional professional development.
The report also notes a cohort shift: alumni who graduated between 2021 and 2025 reported a lower sense of belonging (72%) than earlier cohorts (85%), though this remains above the 65% national benchmark for college graduates.
Next Steps
The next installment of the project is scheduled for release next summer and will add earlier graduating classes. A third report planned for summer 2028 will include focus groups and interviews to provide qualitative context behind the quantitative results and broaden understanding of alumni experiences and outcomes.
Why it matters: These findings broaden the conversation about college value by highlighting well-being, engagement and institutional loyalty — measures that complement traditional outcomes like earnings and graduation rates.
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