Exposure shifts perception. Immersion builds belief.
exclusively for Cheyney and Lincoln graduates.
By inviting students to live the HBCU experience before senior year, the institution ensures that awareness precedes application and that aspiration is matched with affordability. A REPLICABLE MODEL FOR THE SECTOR Cheyney’s pipeline model offers a blueprint for HBCUs and policymakers alike: • Address awareness gaps early. • Create immersive, identity- affirming experiences. • Align academic standards with scholarship guarantees. • Connect summer engagement to long-term retention structures. • Fund the work strategically through mission-aligned partners. Founded in 1837 to educate those denied access elsewhere, Cheyney University continues to redefine what access means in the 21st century. Through SOAR at Cheyney and a scholarship guarantee tied to academic achievement; the institution is transforming a national awareness gap into a structured pathway. Exposure becomes understanding. Understanding becomes aspiration. Aspiration becomes enrollment. And when students know what an HBCU is, when they experience it fully, they can finally choose it with confidence.
This layered design integrates: • Early exposure (rising senior summer immersion) • Academic benchmarking (3.5 GPA standard) • Guaranteed scholarship pathway for PA residents • Structured Honors Academy engagement • Ongoing leadership and retention support The result is a recruitment model rooted in intentional design rather than passive enrollment. WHY THIS MATTERS NOW National interest in HBCUs has surged in recent years. Applications are up across many institutions. Yet awareness remains uneven, especially in regions where students have limited direct exposure. Pennsylvania produces thousands of academically strong students each year. Many leave the state or enroll at predominantly white institutions without ever visiting an HBCU campus. If students do not know what an HBCU is, they cannot choose one. If they do not experience belonging, they cannot imagine themselves thriving there.
FROM EXPERIENCE TO OPPORTUNITY Cheyney has taken the model further than awareness. Beginning with the Class of 2027 pipeline, Pennsylvania residents who complete the SOAR at Cheyney program and graduate high school with a 3.5 GPA or higher will be eligible for a full scholarship through the Cheyney Honors Academy. The message to students across the Commonwealth is clear: If you achieve at a high level, your HBCU education can be fully funded. This alignment eliminates one of the most persistent barriers to HBCU consideration: financial uncertainty. Families often assume affordability challenges before exploring options. Cheyney replaces assumption with structure. STRATEGIC INVESTMENT, MEASURABLE IMPACT Rather than treating summer programming as standalone enrichment, Cheyney has embedded SOAR into its broader enrollment and Honors Academy strategy. Students are not only introduced to campus; they are introduced to expectations, mentorship structures, scholarship benchmarks, and long-term opportunity including full funding for graduate school through the Bond- Hill Scholarship program,
Cheyney’s approach responds directly to this disconnect.
HBCU TIMES SUMMER ISSUE 2026 | 5 1
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