What is Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)

Although the Hispanic population in the United States is growing faster than any other ethnic group, college graduation rates, especially above the associates degree level, remain low, too low for the United States to remain academically and economically competitive in the years to come. Hispanics, on the whole, remain poorer and less educated than other ethnic groups, which could have significant economic impact on the United States, if left un-remediated, as their numbers continue to rise. Some of the questions and issues to be addressed in considering this gap in educating this population include cultural or financial barriers to attending college, bias in K-12 education and college recruitment strategies, retention and graduation issues specific to Hispanics, and high school and community college preparation of immigrant and other Hispanic students for transferring to four-year institutions.