NEED Has An Annual HBCU Tour. What Has This Experience Been Like For Students And Tour Leaders?
Watch a light switch on when a student steps onto a campus where success looks like them. We take you inside NEED’s 10-day HBCU tour, a journey through more than a dozen states and nearly 18 campuses that blends admissions access, cultural history, and mentoring into a life-changing experience. From first-time travel to first-time acceptances, this is where uncertainty gives way to pride, purpose, and a plan.
We break down how the tour is built for impact: business casual expectations to practice professional presence, guided sessions with admissions officers who often extend on-the-spot offers, and structured time with current students and alumni who greet the group like family. Along the way, we anchor every campus visit in context—stops at Fort Monroe, civil rights sites, and museums pair with bus-ride conversations and videos that explain why HBCUs exist, how they’ve endured, and what it means to learn in spaces designed to celebrate Black excellence.
You’ll hear why access is the nonnegotiable foundation. If a student wants college, NEED brings the mentoring, tutoring, and guidance to get them there. The criteria are simple—desire, an application, and a conversation—while scholarships and community support help cover costs. Parents are partners, students are known by name, and alumni show up on campus to say, “there’s my people,” turning a tour into a living network. The results speak for themselves: elevated motivation, deeper belonging, and a strong share of students choosing HBCUs with confidence.
Ready to support a student’s first step toward a degree and a community that lasts? Subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review to help more families discover NEED’s path to college. To apply for scholarships or get involved, visit www.Needld.org.
To learn more about NEED visit:
https://www.NEEDLD.org
NEED
429 Fourth Avenue, 20th FL, Suite 2000
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-566-2760
