Accelerating the impact of HBCUs with an additional layer of student support

Leaning into the strengths of HBCUs and PBIs

Every day, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) demonstrate their exceptional ability to serve and support students, starting with fostering a true commitment to belonging. These institutions also excel at celebrating each individual’s intersecting identities and examining how those identities help shape their future.

Yet even on historic campuses with strong communities, additional support and resources can go a long way for student and institutional outcomes — boosting retention rates, bringing stopped-out students back to school, and finding ways to strengthen students’ connections to their academic and career goals. InsideTrack’s personalized coaching does just that.

Fueling student success through holistic coaching support

We are proud to partner with over 40 HBCUs & PBIs and counting to unlock the power of coaching for their students — placing an emphasis on belonging and togetherness, learning strategies and study skills, building motivation, and preparing students to embark on career paths that align with their needs. And we support institutions as they secure funding to implement coaching programs and training for their staff, sustaining the impact for years to come.

Why InsideTrack?

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Empowered change that advances learners and delivers organizational transformation
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Proven methodology that’s evidence-based and research-confirmed
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Tailored outcomes that meet partner-defined goals
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Holistic, human-powered technology that enables scalable support
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Equitable approach that fuels social mobility through coaching
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Expert coaches who are skilled and well-trained

The numbers add up to HBCU success

40+
HBCU & PBI partner institutions
+22%
higher retention rate among coached students
+7.0%
re-enrollment rate over 3 consecutive academic terms
United Negro College Fund

Coaching that strengthens and supplements student support

Ready to learn more about how the impact of personalized coaching can transform student outcomes on HBCU and PBI campuses? InsideTrack coaching can help HBCUs incorporate success coaching into their enrollment, retention and capacity building practices, enacting a personalized coaching program at scale.

HBCU case studies and partner profiles

Johnson C. Smith University: Top-ranked HBCU uses coaching to strengthen belonging and support
Learn how one Historically Black University leaned into holistic coaching methodology to build and expand an in-house student success coaching program.
2,044
appointments during the Fall 2023 semester for a contact rate of 87%
UNCF and InsideTrack join together for HBCU student success excellence
Nine UNCF institutions brought stopped-out students back to school in an initiative that will expand through a multi-year partnership.
8.6
%
re-enrollment rate
Driving historic enrollment growth at Elizabeth City State University
See how Elizabeth City State University and InsideTrack committed to increasing enrollment rates and improving financial sustainability — and succeeded.
+
72
%
enrollment increase in year one
Personalized coaching gives Fayetteville State University a big boost in retention
See how Fayetteville State University partnered with InsideTrack coaches to increase retention, engagement and GPAs to sustain impact.
+
22
%
difference in retention and persistence among coached students
Advisor supports adult learner through coaching
Peirce College: Philadelphia PBI undergoes coaching certification to strengthen retention
See how this Philadelphia PBI leveraged federal grant funding to embed a holistic coaching methodology, strengthen student relationships and boost retention.

HBCU Center of Coaching Excellence

HBCUs across the country have seen firsthand that the power of coaching is transformational — positioning them as exemplary partners to amplify a learner-centered higher education model. That’s the impetus behind the HBCU Center of Coaching Excellence — to shine a light on how HBCUs have supported students with holistic coaching, providing the higher ed sector with research, communications and events that unearth coaching insights and share best practices.

Trusted partners in the HBCU sector

thurgood marshall

HBCUs disproportionately enroll and support students from low-income backgrounds as well as those who are first-generation college students — students who gain significant value from this type of one-on-one coaching and support. By both providing individualized coaching for current and former students, as well as building capacity for institutions to continue this important work over time, this initiative will help institutions capitalize on the current momentum.

Harry Williams

President and CEO, Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Student success is absolutely about connection and belonging. But it also has to be about formalized support and engagement throughout the student journey to ensure that students not only persist and graduate, but that they also become stewards of their institutions and proud alumni.

Dr. Ka'rin Thornburg

Director of Partnership Engagement, Program Development, & Effectiveness, Partnership for Education Advancement

We have to understand how to make every touchpoint with students meaningful. We have to understand and correct broken processes in leaky pipelines. And we have to do it with a networked approach to ultimately make sure institutional support and resources are jointly shared. Our partnership with InsideTrack does all of that.

Ed Smith-Lewis

Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Institutional Programs, UNCF

Stopping or dropping out impacts more than just the student. It impacts their families, their careers, their communities and their future. InsideTrack has allowed us to say in contact with those students, and it expresses to those students that even though you're not here, we're still concerned about what is going on with you.

Dr. Glenell Lee-Pruitt

President, Jarvis Christian University

Students want to feel supported. At the end of the day, they want to feel that we are there to give them the information and dedication and compassion and empathy that will carry them through. Because life is hard. This is not just about college, it’s about who you are as a human being. So if we can connect those coaches and their experience to our students, it goes a long way.

Monica White

Director of Admissions, Dillard University

Let’s partner for HBCU student and institutional advancement

Working together, we can provide personalized support for students throughout their journey, developing the strengths they have to achieve their educational and career goals.

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