Recent graduates of Spelman College, whose alumnae range from Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund Founder, to Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Sam’s Club. (Photo: Creative Commons)
Homecoming isn’t the only thing that makes HBCU alumni feel good. It appears that graduates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities are thriving in a number of areas, from physical to financial well-being, according to a Gallup poll released today.
“Black graduates of HBCUs are more likely than black graduates of other institutions to be thriving — strong, consistent and progressing — in a number of areas of their lives,” Gallup reports. The analysis included graduates who earned bachelor’s degrees from 1940 to 2015.
In terms of physical well-being, 33 percent of HBCU graduates were more likely to be thriving compared to 28 percent for non-HBCU alumni, a 5 percent difference. The gap was double at 11 percent for financial health, which can impact levels of stress: 40 percent versus 29 percent.
“The profoundly different experiences that black graduates of HBCUs and non-HBCUs are having in college may leave HBCU graduates feeling better prepared for life afterward,” Gallup said, “and potentially lead these two groups to live vastly different lives after college.”
