HBCUs are presently having fun with their highest ranges of cultural prominence in many years. Enrollment is hovering and funding is growing. And a few count on software numbers to enhance even additional this yr on account of the Supreme Court docket’s ruling in opposition to race-conscious admissions practices. Though HBCUs are extra mainstream than ever, a brand new report from EAB, the tutorial consulting agency centered on enrollment administration, pupil success, and institutional technique, reveals that the scholars who search them out have a definite profile: they prize a way of belonging, they’ve distinctive communications preferences, and so they take a look at worth in a different way. It’s essential for traditionally Black faculties to grasp these college students if the HBCU increase is to be greater than a blip.

The report relies on EAB’s 2023 Scholar Communications Preferences survey, which was taken by over 1,000 college students who indicated that they have been contemplating an HBCU. These college students’ solutions have been in comparison with these of the over 19,000 college students who mentioned that they weren’t contemplating HBCUs and the practically 3,000 college students who self-identified as Black. Their responses revealed key variations.

These indicating curiosity in HBCUs, which the report known as “HBCU seekers,” labeled a way of belonging as one in every of their prime priorities. HBCU seekers have been virtually two and a half occasions as doubtless as these not taken with HBCUs to say that they valued a various pupil physique, and virtually 50% extra prone to say that they wished to have “college students like me on campus.” (They have been over 20% extra prone to say this than Black college students as a gaggle.) Extra particularly, HBCU seekers have been practically 50% extra doubtless than non-HBCU seekers to prize sturdy college spirit and traditions, and greater than two and a half occasions extra prone to say that they wished lively Greek life.

The discovering was unsurprising to Jacory Bernard, an undergraduate recruiter and new pupil assist supervisor at Morehouse Faculty.

“That’s one thing that our college students talk,” he mentioned. “They’re on the lookout for a house that can contribute not solely to their mental improvement, however their social improvement. I believe it’s comforting for college kids to know that there’s an surroundings that’s tailor-made to them from its origins.”

Dr. Pam Royall, head of analysis, enrollment companies at EABIn accordance with Dr. Pam Royall, the top of analysis, enrollment companies at EAB, the discovering offers a possibility for HBCUs to deploy their present college students and up to date alumni to get the phrase out.

“A very powerful factor is genuine messaging from near-peers,” she mentioned. “If I’m a school sophomore, and I can go to my highschool and speak about my expertise, [saying] ‘this can be a place the place I, as a pupil of shade, match; I’m capable of excel; I get the type of social assist I would like,’ that messaging is as strong because it will get.”

A vital place to speak that sense of belonging is on social media. HBCU seekers have been 10% extra doubtless than non-seekers to have interacted with a school on social media and have been virtually 20% extra prone to be open to social media advertisements from schools. In accordance with Bernard, social is a vital a part of Morehouse’s recruiting technique.

“Social media is an outstanding alternative for establishments like Morehouse to actually present pupil life,” he mentioned. “We’re capable of present college students homecoming celebrations the place over 30,000 alumni come again, or hip-hop concert events the place we characteristic visitor stars like Travis Scott and Drake, and even our Black Males’s Analysis Institute, the place we’re capable of present a few of the analysis findings of scholars, college, and employees.”

Social media could also be significantly vital given one other of the report’s findings: that 60% of HBCU seekers dwell exterior of the southeast, the place HBCUs are concentrated. HBCUs are nonetheless a draw for these college students—they have been 30% likelier than these not taken with HBCUs to be keen to journey 4 hours or extra for varsity. Social media can provide these far-off college students a style of what HBCUs campuses feel and appear like.

Nonetheless, HBCU seekers admire extra conventional types of contact as effectively, reminiscent of letters and electronic mail. The report discovered that the HBCU-curious have been practically 20% extra prone to say that they like receiving a private letter from a school and 12% extra prone to say that they like getting electronic mail.

The latter discovering stunned Bernard.

“I believed college students can be inundated with emails and so they wouldn’t need to obtain them,” he mentioned.

Bernard believes that college students could favor them as a result of they really feel extra private.

A Morehouse homecoming“If a pupil who has dreamt of coming to Morehouse sees an electronic mail from Morehouse within the flood of emails coming from each different model or advertiser on this planet, that, for them, is an oz of pleasure of their day,” he mentioned. “[It says], they’re eager about me, this establishment desires me.”

College students who’re taken with HBCUs additionally seem to begin their faculty searches earlier. HBCU-seekers have been greater than 40% likelier to begin investigating schools earlier than highschool, and over 25% likelier to have began by the tip of their sophomore yr. EAB attributed to this to the bigger position that household connections, phrase of mouth, and neighborhood occasions typically play in HBCU recruitment. Royall argued that which means faculties ought to talk in a different way.

“The message must be extra like a public service announcement,” she mentioned. “It’s not a lot a advertising and marketing message as it’s informational content material. The concept is that we would like you to seek out the very best match college for you by making you conscious of the range of choices that’s accessible.”

Lastly, the report discovered that, though HBCU seekers are involved with affordability, identical to all different college students, they understand worth in a different way. College students open to HBCUs have been extra prone to say that scholarships and monetary help have been prime indicators of worth, nevertheless they have been much less prone to emphasize a smaller sticker worth. This, the report suggests, may imply that HBCU seekers are open to greater listing costs in the event that they know that the last word worth that they pay might be decrease.

The EAB report reveals that college students who’re taken with attending HBCUs are a novel group with particular wishes and wishes. Establishments which are hoping to take advantage of the present second would do effectively to maintain these desires in thoughts as they craft recruitment methods going ahead.

Jon Edelman could be reached at JEdelman@DiverseEducation.com