Hispanic-Serving Institutions

The idea of Hispanic-serving institutions surfaced in the 1980s, when educational law and policy makers from all levels (local, state, and federal) recognized that few institutions enrolled large numbers of Hispanic/Latino students. The U.S. Department of Education, under Title V of the Higher Education Act, defines a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) as an institution that is (1) an eligible institution and (2) has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic at the end of the award year preceding the date of application. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) adds an additional criterion to the definition of HSI. It specifies that HSIs provide assurances that not less than 50 percent of the institutions’ Hispanic students are low-income individuals.

The mission of HSIs was not explicitly to serve the large numbers of educationally [Page 1084]disenfranchised Hispanic students; instead, numbers and demographic data define these institutions. Over half (53 percent) of Hispanic/Latino graduates were enrolled in HSIs in 2010 and 2011.

Integral to the definition of HSI is the definition of Hispanic. NCES defines a person of Hispanic/Latino race or ethnicity as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. If an individual is considered biracial, with one race or ethnicity category as Hispanic, he or she is assigned to the Hispanic/Latino category. For example, if a respondent self-identifies as Hispanic/Latino and also as Asian, black, or African American, this respondent is reported only in the Hispanic/Latino category.

As of September 2012, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), established in 1986, reported 240 member HSIs. For HACU's membership purposes, Hispanic-serving institutions are defined as colleges, universities, or systems/districts in which total Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25 percent of the total enrollment. “Total enrollment” includes full-time and part-time students at the undergraduate or graduate level (including professional schools) of the institution, or both (head count of for-credit students). Currently, there is no list provided by the U.S. Department of Education or federal government of official HSIs.

HSIs are primarily found in the southwest United States; 75 percent of HSIs are located in three states and Puerto Rico. California has 98 HSIs, Puerto Rico and Texas each have 56, and New Mexico has 23. HSIs serve over 1 million Hispanic students yearly.