Hispanic-Serving Institutions: What Are They? Where Are They?

Hispanic-serving educational institutions are receiving greater public attention as they continue to expand in number. Increasingly, more and more Latinos and other racial and ethnic students are enrolling in these institutions. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities with Latino enrollments of 25% or more full-time equivalent students. At least 68% of HSIs are community colleges which educate almost half of all Latinos enrolled in higher education. This article provides an overview of the history of HSIs, the educational conditions of Latinos, and the increasing importance of HSIs for this population. The focus is on community college HSIs because of their role in providing entry into higher education for most Latinos and a growing number of other racial and ethnic students. A critical multicultural perspective frames the discussion.