HBCU Alumni Score Higher in Brain Health Than PWI Peers, New Study Finds

Ask an (HBCU) graduate about their experience, and they’ll likely say it was among the best times of their lives. Now, a study has linked the HBCU experience to something even bigger than the intersection of education and cultural pride. It has found a possible connection between the HBCU environment and lifelong well-being.  

What the Research Found

A long-running health study published in JAMA Network Open (Feb. 2026) included about 1,980 Black Americans who attended college between 1940 and 1980 at either historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) or predominantly white institutions (PWIs).

The 40-year span matters because it includes the time period when Jim Crow laws legally prevented Black Americans from matriculating at PWIs. It also includes the impact of landmark decisions like Brown v. Board of Education, which overturned “separate but equal” in 1954, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed racial discrimination in public spaces. Both initiatives shaped education at the time.

Roughly 35 percent of the study participants attended an HBCU at some point. “Our question was, ‘Is any exposure to an HBCU going to have a later life impact on your cognition?’ And the answer was yes,” lead researcher Marilyn D. Thomas, PhD, MPH told The Guardian.

Participants were interviewed decades after their attendance, between 2006 and 2021, when most were in their early 60s. Researchers assessed memory, language and overall cognitive function. They found HBCU attendees consistently outscored PWI peers.

“HBCU attendees had better cognition across all three of those different time periods,” Thomas said.

The outlet also notes significant shared experiences among participants. These include having a mother or caregiver who attended college, receiving educational encouragement and being shown affection as a child.

More Than A Degree

HBCUs represent only 3 percent of the nation’s higher education institutions. However, they have produced a quarter of all degrees earned by African Americans and 70 percent of Black doctors. Their roster of famous alumni includes Kamala Harris, the late Jesse Jackson, and director Spike Lee.

As we previously told you, HBCU enrollment is on the rise, and data shows that their students are thriving. A recent 2025 University of Michigan report found that 83 percent of HBCU students reported a sense of belonging on campus and had better mental health outcomes. Thomas’ findings confirm that people do their best in spaces where they feel welcome.

“There’s an attack right now on DEI programs. Promoting diversity, bringing people in from different backgrounds and ideologies – all that is under scrutiny right now,” she told The Guardian. “But this study shows us that when you create environments where marginalized people feel welcome or affirmed, they live healthier lives.”