On Friday, an invitation-only ceremony was held at Martha’s Vineyard to unveil the first set of results from “Proof of Promise: The Lasting Value and Impact of an HBCU Education,” a survey of alumni of dozens of HBCUs concerning their college experiences and post-graduation success. Friday’s event revealed results from data gathered from graduates of the classes of 2010 through 2025 at 40 different four-year HBCUs.
The data from these recent alumni reveal that they are thriving in comparison to others. One of the most striking results is that 70% of these recent HBCU alumni report that they are personally “thriving” in life, compared to only 48% of all Black adults in the U.S. who say they are thriving. Nearly half of those surveyed, 46%, report being “engaged” at work, in contrast to only 31% of all American workers. The survey also showed that HBCU alumni found their college experiences meaningful, with 83% experiencing a sense of belonging at their schools (compared to only 65% of all college graduates), and nearly all (94%) saying they had a professor who inspired them to learn, in comparison with 81% of all college graduates who report this.