HBCU Alumni Survey Finds Graduates Outperform National Benchmarks

70% of recent HBCU graduates are thriving in their everyday lives

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) continue to deliver strong career and life outcomes for graduates, according to a new national study that found recent HBCU alumni outperform national benchmarks in workplace engagement, well-being, and satisfaction with their college experience, Yahoo Finance reports.

The findings come from the first installment of “Proof of Promise: The Lasting Value and Impact of an HBCU Education,” a study released Aug. 4 by the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center, the research arm of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, in partnership with Gallup. The report examines graduates from 40 four-year HBCUs who earned degrees between 2010 and 2025. Researchers say it is the largest study of HBCU alumni conducted to date and is part of a three-part project that will eventually include data from 64 institutions and more than 500,000 documented alumni contacts.

The report found that 70% of recent HBCU graduates are thriving in their everyday lives, according to Gallup’s well-being measure, compared with 46% of Black adults nationwide. It also found that 83% reported a strong sense of belonging during college, exceeding the national average of 65% among college graduates. Nearly three-quarters, or 72%, said they would recommend their alma mater to others, while 79% said their education was worth the cost.

The study also highlighted strong workforce outcomes. Nearly half of HBCU alumni surveyed, 46%, reported being engaged at work, compared with 31% of U.S. workers nationally. More than half of respondents secured employment within two months of graduation, including 39% who had accepted a job before earning their degree. Engineering graduates reported the strongest employment outcomes, with a 70% placement rate within two months of graduation.

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Researchers also identified opportunities for continued professional development. Alumni most frequently cited networking, public speaking, and generative artificial intelligence as the skills they want to strengthen as their careers advance.

While graduates who earned degrees between 2021 and 2025 reported a lower sense of belonging than earlier cohorts, researchers said their results remained above the national average, suggesting HBCUs continued to foster strong campus communities despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This research validates what HBCU graduates have experienced for generations,” Dr. M.C. Brown II, executive director of the Payne Research Center, said in a statement. “The data clearly demonstrate that HBCUs are producing graduates who are succeeding in the workforce.”

The study’s second installment is scheduled for release in summer 2027 and will expand the research to include earlier graduating classes, allowing for multigenerational comparisons. A third report, expected in summer 2028, will incorporate focus groups and interviews to examine the experiences behind the data.