TikTok is known for its silly memes and pop culture trends, from the famous 2020 Renegade to the more recent “raise your ya ya ya.” But it’s also a platform that has brought a lot of valuable information and education to the millions of people who use the app daily. It’s helped users connect to job hunting resources, share and receive valuable information about current events, and find community through the app’s various niche subgroups. The most recent of those valuable niche subgroups is HillmanTok University, which is making college-level education accessible to all.
HillmanTok University started going viral as of late January 2025, and is still growing. In the week that it has been trending, HillmanTok University has become a space for people to come together to learn — free of charge — valuable information from professionals, and find community with fellow students.
“I really want people to take note of how awesome this whole HillmanTok University is,” creator @jennamarienolen shared in a Jan. 27 TikTok. “It’s just really cool to see people want to give back and have people learn from them.” TikToker @allureladur shared similar sentiments in a video posted the same day: “I am so for HillmanTok. Like, I’m already learning … tax code, I’m learning financial literacy…”
If you’re not sure what HillmanTok is or haven’t reached that side of TokTok (yet), let’s get into it.
What is HillmanTok?
Grab your textbooks and a copy of the syllabus, because it’s time to get to Dr. Leah Barlow’s African American Studies 101 class. Barlow unintentionally started the HillmanTok trend when she made a TikTok introducing the actual class she teaches to college students. In the video, Barlow explained the course subject and what students could expect from her class this semester. But as it is with TikTok, things tend to blow up overnight. And that’s exactly what happened. Since then, Barlow has gone viral, as people all over TikTok clamor to gain knowledge from her (as of Jan. 28, with her TikTok account has over 520,000 followers). Now, she’s posted her syllabus and mini-lectures on her page for her students (and all of those who “enrolled” in the TikTok version of her class) to follow along, learn, and study.
Since Barlow went viral, other Black educators have taken to TikTok to post their courses on the social media platform as well. And thus, HillmanTok University was born. The name is a reference to the HBCU Hillman College from the Cosby Show spinoff A Different World. But while Hillman College is a fictional school, HillmanTok University has become very real.
How do you register for HillmanTok University Courses?
From “Welcome to Finances 101: Mastering your Money” to “Mental Wellness 101” to Cosmetology 101” to “Physical Education,” HillmanTok University has it all. I fell down a rabbit hole looking into all the courses and scrolling through all the classes I could “enroll” in. To help prospective students keep track, creator @livewithmichaele even put together a list of every single course available on HillmanTok, as well as the corresponding professor’s TikTok handle. There’s also an official HillmanTok University TikTok page, an official website, and of course, like any great school, a mascot: The HillmanTok Black Panthers. The HillmanTok University TikTok page also indicates a Discord is in the works.
If you’re wondering how legit this “university” is, or what the quality of the lectures is like, here’s the deal: While this TikTok-based “college” isn’t exactly accredited, the education it’s providing is very real. Each educator who has shared their courses as part of HillmanTok has also shared their qualifications. Many of them have taught at real-life universities and institutions and have shared their mini-lectures and syllabi online to show their credentials; others have credentials that include PhDs from Ivy League schools, successful businesses, and years of experience in the fields they’re teaching.
Since HillmanTok has taken on the characteristics of a traditional HBCU, the content has been geared toward Black individuals. However, the virtual doors are open for anyone wanting to learn and be respectful of the space that these Black educators have created.