On college campuses, the spring semester is now in session. On TikTok, an introductory video posted for one specific college class has wrought the most exciting academic revolution in years: Hillman University, also referred to as HillmanTok University.
On Jan. 20, 2025, Dr. Leah Barlow posted her first video to her TikTok account, @afamstudies. Standing in the cold wrapped in a gray knit sweater, she introduced herself and welcomed her class to Intro to African-American Studies.
Over the next 2 minutes and 41 seconds, she explained how the course’s grade would be calculated (an aggregate of quizzes, discussion board posts, the midterm, and final) and introduced one of the first assignments (to analyze the lyrics to Donald Glover’s “This is America”). That video has since racked up 3.7 million views.
For whatever reason, TikTok’s algorithm decided to feed Dr. Barlow’s video — initially intended for the 35 students enrolled in her class — to the masses. And as it turns out, the masses are starved for education.
“idk why i watched this whole video like im in the class,” wrote @kay.chanel18. @blkpippi commented “Can somebody send me the syllabus, I enrolled late.” For others, Dr. Barlow’s post awakened long-forgotten memories of academic panic (@misstiaffany “homework due tomorrow??? wait hold on!”) and bureaucratic frustration (@queen_lulu85 “I don't have my books yet, my FAFSA hasn't come.”)
TikTok’s collective enrollment in Dr. Barlow’s class may have come as a surprise, but it was not an unwelcome one. And the success of her video reminded social users of two things: There are many highly educated Black women on TikTok, and people are craving access to community, and smart, educated people.
Soon, introductory classes began popping up across all fields of study, from creative writing, interior design, black fashion, beauty, and culture, to metaphysics, pilates, legal studies, financial planning, and medicine. A course list was created, official TikTok accounts were made (and hacked), and an educational movement began.
What is HillmanTok University?
Hillman University was born overnight. It was named as a nod to A Different World, the six-season Cosby Show spin-off that followed Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) to Hillman College, a fictional HBCU set in Virginia.
“I apologize in advance for my delay in response, but I had to put on my good blazer and go on down to the registrar’s office to remind them that contractually, I only teach two courses a semester, 35 students per course.”
When Dr. Barlow reappeared on TikTok a few days after her video went viral, she confirmed that her initial post had been intended for just her class. But to accommodate the audience's response, she decided to post mini-lectures, little vignettes of her talking as she would to her students, for followers to consume.
Dr. Barlow, who holds a PhD in Africana Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, also released a reading list. (“The Booktok girls, like myself, are gonna be all over this,” wrote @TriciaReadIt.)
Dr. Amanda Canteen was scrolling TikTok at home when she first saw Dr. Barlow’s post. At that point, it had only been up for about an hour. As more educators responded with videos introducing their own classes, she began assembling a course list. The next morning, she jumped on TikTok, introduced herself as the university's official advisor, and began amplifying the other professors.
An educator from Georgetown, SC, Dr. Canteen says that organizing and addressing the students in her video was “natural.” In an email with The Daily Dot, she writes that she was motivated to get involved after seeing a “black woman pushing education courses online for FREE…people are getting information and help they couldn’t afford alone.”
Hillman University's spring semester is still young, but at least online, students are energized and ready to go. But above all else, they're grateful to Dr. Barlow for posting the video that accidentally started it all.
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