The nation’s largest assessment of recent alums found stronger results in well-being, workplace engagement and sense of belonging.
A landmark assessment of recent HBCU alums found graduates from those schools outperformed several national benchmarks in well-being, workplace engagement and satisfaction with their college experience.
The study adds new data to reporting on strong graduate outcomes and Howard University’s career success, offering a broader look at HBCU graduate outcomes beyond earnings and graduation rates.
Per Black Enterprise, the findings come from “Proof of Promise: The Lasting Value and Impact of an HBCU Education,” developed by the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center, the research arm of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, in partnership with Gallup. The first installment was officially released on July 31.
The first portion of the study examines alumni who graduated between 2010 and 2025 from 40 four-year HBCUs with usable data. The full three-part project spans 64 four-year HBCUs and more than 500,000 documented alumni contacts, making it the largest assessment of HBCU alumni conducted to date.
Among the findings, 70% of recent HBCU alumni were classified as thriving in everyday life, compared with 46% of Black U.S. adults. Eighty-three percent reported a strong sense of belonging at their institution, compared with 65% of college graduates nationally.
The study also found that 79% believed their education was worth the cost, compared with a national benchmark of 72%. Similarly, seventy-two percent were considered promoters of their alma mater, compared with 44% of college graduates nationwide.
Workplace results showed another gap. Forty-six percent of recent HBCU alumni were engaged at work, compared with 31% of U.S. workers overall. Fifty-two percent secured a good job within two months of graduation, including 39% who already had a job waiting when they graduated. Engineering graduates posted a 70% placement rate within two months.
Researchers also identified areas where alumni want additional professional development. Networking led at 46%, followed by public speaking at 35% and generative AI at 34%.
Graduates from 2021 through 2025 reported a lower sense of belonging than earlier cohorts, 72% compared with 85%, but remained above the 65% national benchmark.
The next installment of the study is scheduled to be released next summer and will add earlier graduating classes. A third report planned for summer 2028 will include focus groups and interviews, giving researchers a deeper view of the experiences behind the numbers and expanding the picture of HBCU graduate outcomes.
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